Improved recycling and additional services such as garden waste collection are to come under a new refuse contract, with the company awarded it now named by Havering Council. 

Urbaser Ltd, which is based in Cheltenham though owned by Spanish environmental services giant Urbaser S.A.U, is to take on the remit from July 30. 

Worth an initial £90million over eight years, with the option to extend for a further eight for a total of £180m, the contract will involve the current in-house services, such as street cleansing, in addition to outsourced waste and recycling and weed control services. 

Weekly waste and recycling collections will operate as they do currently, the council said, while glass is added to orange recycling collections for the first time. 

A total of 20 per cent of the vehicles and equipment used will be electric-powered, with the council saying carbon emissions generated by non-electric vehicles will be offset using accredited carbon capture schemes in the UK. 

The council said the contract will be “like-for-like”, other than some additional services including those mentioned. 

Leader of the council, Ray Morgon, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Urbaser Ltd to deliver our waste and recycling service. 

“We know that our waste and recycling service along with street cleaning are among the services most valued by our residents.  

“It’s important that with this new contract, we provide continuity of the high level of service that residents have come to expect. 

"We’re pleased to be offering the collection of glass and more items that residents can recycle. 

“We want to work together with Urbaser Ltd to help encourage our residents to recycle more and be able to reduce waste, which in turn, will help the environment.” 

Javier Peiro, managing director of Urbaser UK, said it looks forward to a "long and prosperous relationship" with the council.

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Havering had included a proposal to shift to alternate-weekly collections in its budget consultation, as a means of saving money. 

Cllr Barry Mugglestone, cabinet member for environment, previously told the Recorder that if there was an appetite for the change, and if there was money to be saved, then the contract could be amended to reflect that if required.