At a meeting on 17 November, Councillors gave the go ahead to start a procurement process to combine the refuse and recycling services.

The new contract which would commence in summer 2022 will include the introduction of commingled recycling collections as part of a joint 123+ service, with the aim of encouraging recycling and reducing the amount of waste sent for disposal.

The move follows agreement by Stratford District Council’s Cabinet earlier this month.

Warwick District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services Councillor Moira-Ann Grainger commented;

“The joint waste service is a significant step as we continue to build closer working arrangements with our neighbours and will bring benefits to residents across both districts. Currently recycling rates in both Stratford and Warwick Districts exceed the Government’s target of 50%. However, by moving to a 123+ system with weekly food waste collections, a simpler two weekly process for collecting recycling and three weekly non-recyclable waste collections we hope to improve these figures even further.”

Warwick District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment, Councillor Alan Rhead added;

“A combined service also goes hand in hand with both Councils’ commitment to tacking the issues around climate change and the environment. The new contract will bring with it more efficient vehicles and smarter routing as well as changes to food waste collection processes which will reduce the volume of harmful greenhouse gases entering our waste streams.”

Improving services for the residents of South Warwickshire

Both Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils are committed to improving their services for the residents of South Warwickshire and are investigating joint working and shared services. Management roles in ICT and Neighbourhood Services are already being shared across the two councils, as is the prospect of a joint Local Plan for our communities, to secure long-term benefits. 

Combining waste collection under one contract, is the next service to be proposed for joint working by both councils. The contracts for both councils finish around the same time, which presents an opportunity to review procuring a combined service across the whole of South Warwickshire, serving 126,000 households.

A new contract would focus on achieving both environmental and financial benefits; using a 123+ service (weekly food waste collections, two weekly recyclable waste collections and three weekly non-recyclable waste collections) encouraging residents to increase their household recycling, reduce non-recyclable waste and reduce the cost of treating and disposing of rubbish.

In addition, it will support the ambition of both councils to achieve carbon-neutral status for their districts by 2030.