Croydon Council’s new waste contract, which will provide improved street cleaning, a new night time waste and cleansing service and an enhanced waste collection service for flats above shops has now been confirmed.

Veolia UK has been awarded the new eight-year contract. Resident feedback formed a key element of the new contract, which included the desire to keep the current alternate weekly waste and recycling collections.

The new contract is central to the Executive Mayor’s business plan and a key priority for restoring pride in the borough, by making the borough’s streets cleaner. The Executive Mayor believes if streets are cleaner, residents are more likely to do their bit to help keep it that way to address the ‘broken window’ effect.

The new contract will:

  • Improve waste collections for flats above shops;
  • Retain the alternate weekly collections for waste and recycling to households;
  • Start a new waste clean-up of the night time economy, so waste is not on the streets in the morning;
  • Reduce the use of pesticides to remove weeds on the streets, a more environmentally friendly approach will be used;
  • A more dynamic response to cleaning streets, as some streets attract more waste than others and an improved street cleaning schedule across the borough.

The contract, which is set to start on 1 April 2025, will cover waste and recycling collections in the borough, along with waste vehicle maintenance, street cleaning and footway winter maintenance. The award of the contract follows a comprehensive procurement exercise.

The new agreement will involve an improved contract management approach with regular reviews to ensure value for money for residents. Council officers will work closely with Veolia to understand and address the needs of local areas directly and a client management team will monitor costs and performance of the service. This will allow council officers to be fully integrated as part of the local communities they are assigned to monitor. This contract monitoring will ensure there is accountability for residents and the council should issues arise.

The borough will also benefit from a significant social value offer from the contractor. They are committed to reducing their carbon emissions and to offer local employment opportunities for Croydon residents through good quality apprenticeships, and a pledge to employ those that are long term unemployed.

“This contract is a significant milestone in implementing my business plan and is a key priority in delivering a cleaner Croydon and restoring pride to our borough. Our streets will be tidier, and residents will notice a better service.

“More will be done to make sure that the contract will be monitored and if the service is not performing, the contractor will be held to account.

“I firmly believe that the ‘look and feel’ of the borough is vital to driving investment and restoring pride for those who live and work in Croydon.

“This new contract is about keeping what works and changing what doesn’t. It offers value for money and an improved service for residents.”

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon