'We've hit the ground running' says Suez as new £300m waste contract begins in Milton Keynes

Suez UK bosses have said how they are ready to “hit the ground running” as MK’s new wheelie bin scheme launched this week.

The company has replaced Serco and been given a new five year municipal collection and street cleansing contract with Milton Keynes City Council. This includes emptying all 300,000 of the city’s new bins.

The contract has the possibility of a five year extension and is valued at £300m over the full 10 years.

Suez spoke to online magazine Letsrecycle.com this week, describing how it had welcomed and trained 250 additional employees in readiness for the task ahead.

They will collect waste from around 119,000 households across Milton Keynes and will also be responsible for keeping streets clean and maintaining council- owned green spaces and play areas.

Suez is running an “ultra-modern” fleet of 65 refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) as well as a further 64 vehicles allocated for street cleansing and grounds maintenance .

Each vehicle is equipped with 360-degree cameras on board to improve safety and record any issues, and there are electric bin lifts to cut fuel consumption and emissions.

Daniel Gillert, Suez UK’s regional business manager told Letsrecycle.com: “Today marks a major milestone as we announce the start of a brand-new waste and environmental services contract for Milton Keynes city council. After a very comprehensive mobilisation period over the summer, which saw the arrival of new state-of-the-art vehicles and 250 new staff members at SUEZ, we’re all excited about what the future will bring for us here in Milton Keynes and we’re ready to hit the ground running.”