Preferred bidder to build and run recycling facility named

Glass recycling looks set to be a lot easier for every household in Plymouth as Council plans to improve the city’s recycling and waste collections gathers momentum.

The Council has named Viridor Waste Management Ltd as preferred bidder for the contract to build and operate the replacement material recycling facility at Chelson Meadow.

The facility is where all the city’s recyclables are sorted, but the existing equipment is old and cannot sort material which includes glass. The contract will mean that once up and running, people living across the city will be able to put their glass bottles and jars in their recycling bins and bags – making it easier and more convenient for them to recycle.

Cabinet meet on 25 March to agree the recommendation which follows 18 months of competitive dialogue procurement with companies interested in supplying the future service at a new facility.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “This is a significant landmark for us. We have wanted glass recycling right on people’s doorsteps for some time, but needed to replace the material recycling facility as it was not up to the job.

“We are now in a position to name the preferred bidder but also remind our residents that plans are in the pipeline that will not only help the Council keep waste out of landfill and council tax down but will make recycling easier.

“We have been running a trial in one area of the city for over a year and it’s been incredibly popular. The main drawback has been waiting while we go through the proper processes so we can extend doorstep glass collection city-wide.”

Capital funding worth £4 million had already been secured through a grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government to replace the old facility

Councillor Vincent added: “Throwing the bottle or jar into the recycling is just the start of the journey from household to recycling plant. We are now sorting out the necessary infrastructure in place for this scheme to happen.”

Over the next few months the existing MRF will be decommissioned and Plymouth’s collected recycling material transferred to another facility on a temporary basis while the new plant is being built. The exact date from which the public can put glass into their green bins has yet to be announced but this will be decided soon.

The doorstep glass recycling initiative is one of a number of changes on the horizon for the city’s waste and recycling collections. Later in the year there will be changes to rounds and collections as part of drive to make the service more efficient and to gear up to the start of the Energy from Waste operations.

Chris Jonas, Viridor’s Head of Strategic Development said: “Viridor is very pleased to be awarded the Preferred Bidder status and looks forward to working with Plymouth City Council to finalise the contract and deliver a robust and effective solution for recycling their mixed recycling collected from residents at a new MRF'."