Wigan council seeks contractor to shift 18 million kg of recycled waste

A £700,000 contract has gone out to tender to find a company to manage the increasing load of mixed recyclables collected at the kerbside by the council’s in-house collection team.

Figures have revealed that, in 2018/19, 92 per cent of dry mixed recyclables (DMR) collected from the road were then suitable for recycling.

The council is appealing to businesses who can collect and sort the increasing level of waste as the amount of recyclables continues to increase.

The contract is a renewal as the previous arrangement is about to run out.

In four years that figure has risen just under nine per cent from 16,478 tonnes to 17,925 tonnes last year.

The waste includes metal packaging (steel tins, aluminium cans, aerosols, foil, biscuit tins), glass bottles and jars, as well as plastic packaging (plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays).

The contract length is two years, with an option to extend by two periods of two years each.

A summary, posted by Wigan Council, says: “It will involve the collection of approximately 18,000 tonnes of DMR per annum from Wigan’s Waste Transfer Station located in Makerfield Way, and the provider will be required to move approximately 80-90 tonnes (four to five articulated vehicles) per day.

“The waste will need to be delivered to the provider’s own facility, where it will need to be separated into separate products that can meet the necessary standard for sale to the recycling industry.

“The contractor will be required to actively manage the haulage, report monthly data, provide contingency options and deliver social value.”

The advert was posted just two days after the town hall revealed the three-weekly bin collection as an “important factor” in soaring recycling rates.

Impressive figures show that recycling levels across the borough hit 53 per cent in 2018/19, meaning that more than half of Wigan’s waste was being put out for reuse.

That was an improvement on 48.5 per cent from the year before and means the local authority has surpassed the national target of 50 per cent by 2020.

Wigan Council has been working to improve recycling rates as part of The Deal, as it not only protects the environment but saves the cash-strapped authority around £2m a year.

To find out more about the new contract, which starts in January 2020, visit the website www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk