Croydon Council’s upgraded waste contract, which will provide a new night-time waste collection service, better street cleaning, and an enhanced waste collection service for flats above shops, will start on 1 April.
Making the borough’s streets cleaner and restoring pride is a key priority for the Executive Mayor Jason Perry, whose business plan includes reviewing the street cleaning and refuse collection contract.
The new contract keeps what is working well, such as the alternate weekly collections for waste and recycling to households and introduces new ways of working to improve the service.
The Council will be making it easier for residents to dispose of non-hazardous clinical hygiene waste. From the start of the new contract sanitary items will not require a special collection and can go into regular black bin bags and into general waste bins for collection. This means that residents won’t have to leave yellow waste sacks outside their property. Residents with a disability or health condition that generate a lot of hygiene waste may be eligible for a larger bin and the Council is contacting them directly.
Collections will increase from weekly to a twice-weekly service, and residents who live in flats above shops will get a much-upgraded service thanks to a new night-time collection service.
A new, more responsive and flexible street cleaning service will also help to make streets cleaner and safer boroughwide.
The Council has also strengthened contract management, with regular reviews to make sure residents are getting value for money. The new contract has social value built in, including local employment opportunities for Croydon residents through good quality apprenticeships, and a pledge to employ those that are long-term unemployed.
“We’ve made some important changes to this new contract and partnership with Veolia, to make sure it meets the needs of Croydon residents. Our streets will be tidier, and residents will notice a better service; this new contract is part of our plan to restore pride for those who live and work in Croydon.
“I want us to make sure the contract delivers value for money for Croydon, and that’s why we will be stepping up contract management and making sure there is continuous service improvements over the life of the contract. This monitoring will ensure there is accountability for residents and the council and should issues arise, the contractor will be held to account.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
Pascal Hauret, Managing Director, Municipal, Veolia UK, said: “We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Croydon Council as their environmental services provider. We look forward to building on the successes of the previous eight years whilst implementing new initiatives to improve recycling rates and street cleanliness in the borough.
“Together with Croydon Council, we will continue to work towards a cleaner, greener future for the borough that will benefit all residents.”
