New contract for Oxfordshire Household Waste Recycling Centre announced

A new management contract that has been awarded to W&S Recycling means that Oxfordshire will keep its entire network of seven Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in the county open in the medium term (with no change to opening hours or days they are open).

The £27 million contract, which starts on 1 October 2017, is for a seven year period with an option to extend for up to a further three years.

The Dorset-based firm already manages five of Oxfordshire’s HWRC sites which means there will be little disruption to residents when the new contract starts. W&S Recycling will manage the HWRC sites at Alkerton, Ardley, Drayton, Oakley Wood, Redbridge, and Stanford in the Vale. FCC Environment will continue to manage Dix Pit HWRC.

Household waste will remain free to bring to HWRCs in Oxfordshire, but there will be a 50p increase for non-household waste items from the former £1, which remains lower than other authorities who charge for the service.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Oxfordshire’s residents told us very clearly that their priority was to see all the HWRCs kept open when the new contract started and I am delighted that we have been able to achieve that. Oxfordshire has one of the best recycling rates in the country which is thanks to the hard work of our residents who collectively make a huge difference to the environment by separating out their household waste and recycling as much as they can.

“While the county council does not have a legal obligation to accept non-household waste at HWRCs, this is a popular and highly valued service among local communities and I am therefore pleased that W&S Recycling is able to continue to offer this service, with only a modest price increase. Overall, I am delighted that our HWRC service remains an accessible, affordable service.”

Geoff Thompson, owner of W&S Recycling, added: “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract and are looking forward to working closely with Oxfordshire County Council to increase recycling rates at sites and continue to make improvements to the HWRCs which we know residents use regularly and value.

“Many Oxfordshire residents already pre-sort their waste and recyclables before visiting their local HWRC but we will be encouraging more residents to do the same as that will help to boost the county’s excellent recycling rate even further. We also plan to invest in a new low-emission vehicle fleet which will be used to transport materials from all of Oxfordshire’s HWRCs to their end destinations.”