Veolia wins waste contract for North Herts and East Herts councils

Following a competitive procurement process, North Herts and East Herts councils' next joint waste, recycling and street cleansing contract will be awarded to Veolia, starting from May 2025. The councils have operated a joint contract and shared service for waste since 2018, the first of its kind in Hertfordshire, and this procurement sees an extension of the successful partnership.

Cllr Amy Allen, Executive Member for Recycling and Waste at North Herts Council, said: “We are excited to be continuing our partnership with East Herts and developing a new partnership with Veolia, to help drive forwards an environmentally sustainable service for the future.

“I’d like to thank officers at both North and East Herts for the sheer graft put into the tender process. The process was rigorous, and we have ensured in these financial times that we will receive the best value for money for residents.”

The councils will continue to work in partnership with current contractor Urbaser UK, which has recently been bought out by FCC, until the new contract starts in May 2025. Staff on the existing contract will transfer over from FCC to Veolia.

The councils will work with Veolia to introduce significant changes to waste and recycling services later in 2025, including a new three-weekly collection cycle, to enhance recycling opportunities for residents. Most residents will receive a new bin and the service will involve three weekly collection of:

• Mixed paper and cardboard in one bin
• All other dry recycling – glass, plastic bottles, pots tubs and trays and cans and foil – with a new addition of plastic bags and film in another bin
• General (non-recyclable) waste
• North Herts Council’s weekly food waste collection service will remain unchanged
• East Herts will be introducing a new separate weekly food collection service, similar to our existing service

In addition, the councils will operate a new fleet with vehicles which are 3.5t or under being zero emission.

Cllr Tim Hoskin, Executive Member for Recycling and Waste at East Herts Council, said: “This new contract and service design gives residents the opportunity to recycle more materials and help the councils in their long-term ambitions to improve the environmental sustainability of services. As a result, we hope to see improvements in recycling performance over the coming years.

 “We would like to thank Urbaser for their hard work and commitment to providing high quality services over the last seven years, and we look forward to continuing to work with them until May 2025.”

Ilana Shaw, General Manager at Veolia, said: “We are delighted to form a new partnership with North and East Herts councils to target increased recycling, clean streets, decarbonisation, and social value initiatives to support the local communities.

“We look forward to sharing our extensive experience for a sustainable future as we support the authorities in achieving net zero by 2030 with key projects planned, which will enable residents to join Veolia and North and East Herts councils on the journey towards ecological transformation.”