The winning bidder for Essex County Council’s new medium-term residual waste treatment contracts was today confirmed.
With current contracts due to expire on 31 March 2025, the new contracts will run for seven years from 1 April 2025. The contract includes an option to extend for up to a further seven years.
The estimated total value of the contract over the potential 14 years could be over £1bn subject to changes in law that will impact the waste industry.
It has been confirmed that the winning bidder for each of the four lots is:
- Lot 1 (175,000 tonnes per annum) - Indaver Rivenhall Limited
- Lot 2 (80,000 tonnes per annum) - Indaver Rivenhall Limited
- Lot 3 (40,000 tonnes per annum) - Indaver Rivenhall Limited
- Lot 4 (42,000 tonnes per annum) - Indaver Rivenhall Limited
As part of the tender, the council set a requirement that landfill could not be used from 1 January 2028. This is two years ahead of the recommendation from the Essex Climate Action Commission to send zero waste to landfill by 2030.
In response to the council’s requirement, the winning bidder has committed to an impressive complete move away from landfill by 1 October 2025.
It is estimated that the delivery of all four lots combined will result in a reduction in greenhouse gas (CO2 equivalent) emissions of circa 30% when compared to our current landfill disposal arrangements. This equates to the saving of over 540,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (equivalent) across the initial seven-year contract term.
Through the contracts, much of Essex’s waste will be used for a short period to generate heat and electricity in an energy from waste plant on the continent and in the longer-term electricity in an Essex-based facility.
From 1 October 2025 the new contractor has committed to contributing to the Waste Strategy for Essex recycling ambitions through the removal of metals and the recycling of ash produced by the energy from waste process.
The winning bidder for these four contracts has also committed to delivering a significant amount of social value through various initiatives.
These include:
- committing to a significant spend through supply chains within the local economy
- offering their Essex-based employees from disadvantaged groups a year’s worth of training opportunities for Levels 2, 3 and 4 of BTEC, City and Guilds, NVQ and HNC qualifications
- making in kind contributions to and providing staff time for volunteering in local community projects
- offering work placements for local students.
Councillor Peter Schwier, Climate Czar and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling, said:
I am delighted to be able to award these contracts for the treatment of our black bag waste in Essex. This will ensure medium-term arrangements are in place for the disposal of our waste while our waste strategy is considered for adoption by our city, district and borough councils across Essex for the longer term.
I am also very pleased to see a very early end to our waste going to landfill which will really benefit the environment and help us achieve our net zero ambitions.
The new contracts will ensure residual waste treatment arrangements are in place for the medium term. For the longer term, it is expected that the new Waste Strategy for Essex will be considered for adoption by all Essex city, district and borough councils over the coming weeks.