The new contract focuses on providing the highest levels of customer service to Sutton residents. This will be supported by new and more energy-efficient vehicles, an improved street cleansing service with waste bags being collected from the street more quickly, as well as a new night cleansing team to clear fly-tips overnight.
To ensure Sutton’s communities benefit directly from the partnership, Veolia has committed to funding more community projects and school orchards, as well as increasing local recruitment, with a special focus on supporting young care leavers into employment.
A dedicated team will support residents to recycle more and reduce the amount of waste from homes, helping to improve Sutton’s local environment. The Council has invested in a newly refurbished depot dedicated solely to Sutton’s new waste and street cleansing contract. This will further enhance the efficiency of the waste service for residents, as well as meeting environmental ambitions.
Sutton residents can still expect the same frequency of collections, including on bank holidays, and there will be no change to the bins currently being used.
Commenting on the appointment, Councillor Barry Lewis, Lead Member for the Environment, said: “We have listened to our residents’ experiences of the current waste contract when choosing a partner.
“Our waste and street cleansing service is the one council service that every Sutton resident experiences. So making sure it is efficient and responsive was extremely important to us. We also wanted the new contract to help us remain one of the cleanest and greenest places to live in London.
“To make sure we found the right partner, we undertook a rigorous selection process and councillors from all the political groups were involved in giving their feedback. From this process, it was clear Veolia understood our ambitions and recognised where they themselves could make improvements.
“I look forward to continuing work with colleagues from Veolia on making our waste and recycling services even better. We have already started to prepare for the new contract to ensure that we are ready to go on day one in April 2025.”
Pascal Hauret, Managing Director, Municipal at Veolia, said: “We are delighted to announce that we are the environmental partner of choice for the London Borough of Sutton. This new contract will target increased recycling, clean streets, decarbonisation, and social value initiatives to support the local community.
“Building on our experience, we will work closely with the Council to deliver on Sutton’s priorities to make a difference locally and deliver a more sustainable future for everyone.”
