News SUEZ and East Devon District Council sign contract extension

SUEZ recycling and recovery UK and East Devon District Council (EDDC) have announced a three-year extension to their recycling and waste contract.

SUEZ and EDDC have been working in partnership to deliver the district’s recycling and waste contract since 2006. Under the extended contract, SUEZ will work with the district to continue to put residents at the forefront of innovative recycling and waste services, with plans to introduce several electric recycling collection vehicles, continued initiatives to make it easier to recycle more, and provide residents with an excellent service. The extension until 2026 will mark a 20-year partnership between the local authority and contractor.

SUEZ – who retained the contract in 2016 when it was last put out to tender – collect on average 21,000 tonnes of recyclable materials, 6,400 tonnes of garden waste, and 18,000 tonnes of residual waste (waste that cannot be recycled) each year on behalf of EDDC, all together this is the equivalent weight of 227 commercial aeroplanes. The recycling is separated further and processed at the dedicated sorting and bailing facility in Greendale Business Park, Woodbury, before being sent on to re-processors to be made into new materials.

Through 17 years of partnership, EDDC and SUEZ have performed highly in recycling rate league tables for England’s local authorities, with an impressive top five spot for 2021/2022.

In 2017, the council widened the range of packaging items residents could recycle in their regular household collections. This included plastic pots, tubs, trays, and food cartons. A new specialised fleet of collection lorries allowed crews to separate all this recycling into individual compartments on the go. At the same time, EDDC was one of a handful of councils to take the leap and move waste to three-weekly collections, demonstrating that increasing recycling capacity can have a positive impact on recycling rates whilst maintaining great customer service and satisfaction.

As well as increasing the recycling rate from 46% in 2016/17 to 61% in 2021/22, EDDC and SUEZ have encouraged residents to consider their buying habits and waste less. As a result, for the last four years, East Devon has been ranked number one for the lowest volume of residual waste collected from households. Not only is this better for our planet, but it is also better for residents whilst providing economic savings from lower disposal costs.

Over the next three years, SUEZ and EDDC will work together to plan for the rapidly increasing rise in houses in the district to deliver a shared goal of keeping East Devon an outstanding place to live.

Nick Tandy, Principal Commercial Manager for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK in Devon said:

“We are delighted to announce the continuation of our partnership with EDDC until 2026. This three-year extension is testament to the success of the partnership and what can be achieved with innovative and forward-thinking leadership. Our people take great pride in providing an efficient and professional service to the local community in East Devon whilst protecting the local environment, and we look forward to continuing this journey to drive positive change in the region.”

Councillor Geoff Jung, EDDC’s Portfolio Holder for Coast, Country and Environment, said: “I am really pleased that we have agreed to continue with our SUEZ partnership. Recycling is now recognised as a “must do” for everyone. The successful working relationship between EDDC, SUEZ and our residents has resulted in one of the best performances in the recycling industry and I look forward to another 3 years of increasing our recycling performance.”