A brand new fleet of 44 waste and recycling trucks got on the road on 1st October, marking the start of a new joint waste contract for bin collections in Hart and Basingstoke and Deane.
The £44 million contract has been awarded to Serco by Hart District Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to provide household waste and recycling collections for the next eight years, with an option of extending for a further eight years.
Worth £5.5 million per year, the contract will see residents in both areas benefit from improvements to their bin collection service including a reduction in joint service costs, new vehicles, improved bin store signage in flats and improved real time information on the status of bin collections. In the near future Hart residents will also benefit from a kerbside collection of textiles, details to follow in early 2019.
A joint waste contract for Hart and Basingstoke was first agreed in 2011 and has delivered significant savings for both authorities over the past seven years. The retendered joint arrangements ensure the best possible service and continued value for money for residents in both council areas. Staff from the existing Veolia contract were given the opportunity to transfer to the new Serco contract.
Hart District Council’s Cllr Alan Oliver, said: “It’s great to see this new contract up and running with Serco, a local Hart business. Hart are the administering authority for the service and our joint client team have been working hard over the past few months to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible.”
Serco’s Jason Kinsella said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the transferring staff for the huge amount of support they have given us over the last five months and am looking forward to us all working together from 1 October.”
Hart District and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Councils would like to thank the outgoing contractor Veolia and their staff for the service they have provided over the last seven years.
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