JUSTIN GRAINGEKingston Council has signed a new eight-year waste and environmental services contract with Veolia.
The £9.4m contract which begins in April 2025 includes recycling and waste collection, street cleansing and winter maintenance services. Veolia, a leader in the decarbonisation of recycling and waste services, will support the council to help deliver its ambition of carbon neutrality by 2030 and prepare for new legislation, such as Simpler Recycling.
In addition to electrifying Kingston’s waste fleet, delivered in partnership with Veolia in 2023, new mechanical sweepers will be introduced to improve the efficiency of street cleansing operations to ensure the borough is kept clean and green for residents.
Alongside delivering quality services, community engagement and social value are integral to the new contract. An experienced Education, Communication and Outreach team will engage with and support residents with tailor-made recycling improvement and waste minimisation campaigns. Behaviour change campaigns will support residents to understand the link between their waste and carbon emissions, with advice on how to recycle effectively and remove plastics from the general waste stream. There will also be a focus on encouraging residents living in flats to improve the quality of their recycling.
Veolia’s Sustainability Fund will also be available to Kingston’s community groups, providing cash sponsorship, in-kind resources and staff volunteers to support local projects. Veolia is also committed to increasing employment in the borough with a focus on local hires, and offering placements and pre-employment training.
Pascal Hauret, Managing Director, Municipal, says: “We are delighted to be continuing our work with Kingston Council as their environmental partner. We will build on the successes of the last eight years whilst aiming to enhance recycling efforts, maintain cleaner streets, reduce carbon emissions and implement social value programmes that will benefit the local community.
“We look forward to working hand-in-hand with Kingston Council to address their key priorities. Together, we will strive to create a positive impact at the local level and pave the way for a more sustainable future that benefits all residents.”
We understand how important it is for our residents to have an efficient and reliable waste and recycling collection service, clean streets and public spaces that we can be proud of and enjoy together.
Leader of Kingston Council, Cllr Andreas Kirsch, adds: “We understand how important it is for our residents to have an efficient and reliable waste and recycling collection service, clean streets and public spaces that we can be proud of and enjoy together.
“We have listened to feedback from communities and, following a robust selection process, we have secured the continuation of a well run service that delivers customer satisfaction, strong recycling rates and will continue to improve environmental performance.
“As a council we are always looking for sustainable solutions to tackle climate change and get us closer to our Net Zero target. I’m delighted to see that following the introduction of our fully electric waste and recycling collection fleet last year, we are now looking at replacing our street cleaning fleet with more sustainable and environment friendly vehicles powered by electricity or Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to work with Veolia to make our waste and recycling services even better and more sustainable.”
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