12th May 2026
One of the country’s most successful residential waste collection services is set to continue and build on past achievements.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils this week announced they have awarded their joint Waste Collection and Street Cleansing contract to waste contractor, Biffa Waste Services, following a rigorous procurement process. The new contract will begin on 29 June 2026.
The councils’ existing shared contract with Biffa currently runs until June 2026 after it was extended by two years in 2024. The successful partnership has helped keep the two districts in the top 10 of the English recycling tables for over a decade.
With the introduction of the new contract, the councils are not currently proposing any major changes in how household waste is collected, but following the publication of the Waste Resource and Street Cleansing Strategy Waste Resources and Street Cleansing Strategy they are encouraging people to maximise the value and lifespan they get from the things they buy. The councils are also preparing for law changes with the national ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme that come into effect in 2027 – which will mean residents can recycle soft plastics.
The main significant change will be a proposed move to a new council owned vehicle depot, alongside a new Dry Mixed Recycling transfer station contract.
The councils’ joint contract with Biffa has run for 16 years in South Oxfordshire and 15 years in Vale of White Horse.
The councils’ recent waste satisfaction survey has yielded encouraging results for our household waste collections, indicating a high level of resident approval with this side of the service. Eighty-one per cent of respondents expressed satisfaction, or high satisfaction, with the overall quality of the service provided.
Cllr Sue Cooper – South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Our waste partnership has been successful over the last 16 years – and I’m proud of the fact it has played a big role in setting us amongst the top recycling areas in the country, which is also thanks to the great effort made by our residents. I’d like to congratulate Biffa for coming out of the robust procurement process as the preferred contractor.
“We clearly need to have an eye on the future reorganisation of councils when making contract decisions, but a contract of this magnitude couldn’t be delayed so it has a range of flexible options built into it, to reflect the potential future needs of a new council structure, whatever that may look like.”
Cllr Robert Clegg – Vale of White Horse Council Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Waste, added: “Throughout our successful partnership with Biffa, we’ve been amongst the best recycling districts in England. I’m pleased we are in a position to continue this partnership by securing a new contract, which is flexible enough to accommodate any future needs following local government reorganisation, as well as updates to future government legislation.
“With the new contract secured and our Waste Strategy in place, I look forward to us achieving even greater results with our focus on reusing items and avoiding waste. I’d also like to reassure residents they can look forward to the same great service going forward – we have no plans at present to make any major changes, other than to encourage more waste reduction and reuse.”
Steve Cole, Managing Director at Biffa Municipal, commented: “Biffa is very proud and honoured to continue our partnership with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, building on our shared commitment and successes in delivering reliable, sustainable, and innovative waste and street cleansing services.
“We look forward to supporting the councils and their residents in preparation for changes in law over the next few years, working together to provide quality collection services and cleaner streets for residents and visitors alike.”
The new contract comes hand in hand with the Councils’ joint Waste Resources and Street Cleansing Strategy that was launched in 2024. This strategy aims to build on existing recycling success – with a new emphasis on encouraging and enabling people to reuse, repair, refill and rehome items, instead of throwing them away.
Waste collections are amongst the highest profile services the councils provide as they affect all households and have a significant impact upon the climate change outcome of the districts. The complexity and timing needed for securing a waste contract and the importance of delivering reliable future waste collections and street cleansing, has meant the Councils had decided to finalise the contract despite Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) on the horizon.
The new contract could run for a maximum period of 16 years (subject to agreed extension/s), with a minimum period of eight years and a break possible after four years to give maximum flexibility.
For some other council contracts, such as leisure provision, shorter term extensions have made sense but this wasn’t an option for the waste contract as it had already been extended for two years in 2024 to await the outcome of the government’s Environment Bill, which was originally intending to set out strict directives on how household waste should be collected.
The timing of the existing contract’s expiry has also meant the two councils have not been able to take part in the potential for shared contract arrangements being worked on by other local councils in the county.
