Introduction
Somerset Council is responsible for all waste services in the county, including kerbside collections of recycling and refuse, and 16 recycling sites.
These services are delivered by three key contracts.
| Contractor | Value | Initial duration of contract | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUEZ | About £23m per year | 10 years | 28 March 2020 | March 2030, with option to extend for a further 10 years |
| Contractor | Value | Initial duration of contract | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viridor Ltd | About £14m per year | 25 years | 1 April 2020 | 31 March 2045, extendable up to 5 years to 31 March 2050 |
| Contractor | Value | Initial duration of contract | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biffa | About £13m per year | 16 years. (Novated from Viridor Ltd in January 2023) | 14 May 2006 | 31 March 2022, extended by 9 years (in 2019) to 31 March 2031 |
Compliance with Waste Regulations 2011
Taking effect from 1 January 2015 with evidence guidance issued by the Environment Agency on 22 December 2014, the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 (as amended in 2012) introduced measures for collectors to promote high quality recycling, including:
- Improving use of waste as a resource by following the waste hierarchy: prevent, reuse, recycle, recover energy, and, as a last resort, disposal.
- Separate collections so customers can keep paper, plastic, metal and glass separate from general waste.
Somerset Waste Partnership has produced a report to demonstrate compliance with the new regulations which was approved by the Somerset Waste Board in March 2015.