The future of waste and recycling collections in Calderdale will be discussed at the Council’s next Cabinet meeting.
Waste and recycling is the biggest service that the Council provides in terms of volume, with over 7.5 million scheduled collections from 95,000 households every year.
The Council’s current waste and recycling collection contract has been with SUEZ since 2016. Following a recent agreement to extend the contract, the current arrangement will now expire on 31 July 2026.
Work has been taking place to explore options for the future of waste and recycling provision in the borough beyond 2026. Following Cabinet approval in 2023, the Council has been developing the option of a joint venture arrangement – a partnership with another public sector organisation.
Discussions have since been taking place with the Norse Group, an existing public sector joint venture company. At the next meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet, members will consider a proposal from Norse to form a joint venture for the delivery of waste and recycling services in the borough.
A joint venture delivery model would provide a number of benefits, allowing the Council to have greater control over the future direction of the service and any changes arising from legislation, as well as offering assurances of a resilient and reliable service for residents. It is also identified as offering the best value for money to the Council in challenging financial times.
Norse’s proposal outlines the arrangements and the projected cost to the council. The service provision would replicate the current service, including the management of Household Waste Recycling Centres. It would also feature service additions which would be in place by August 2026, including a second garden waste round (recently introduced by SUEZ) and a food waste round that will collect from flats and apartments.
To better understand some of the collection challenges in Calderdale, representatives from Norse spent time with Council officers monitoring waste and recycling rounds, which involved visiting some of the difficult to access routes currently operated by 4×4 vehicles, along with narrow streets, terraces and steep inclines.
Visits were also made to Council depots and facilities that would be included in the operations to ensure Norse was fully aware of premises, locations and conditions.
Members will consider the Norse Group’s proposal, with the recommendation that the Council enters into a joint venture with the Norse Group for the delivery of waste and recycling services from August 2026, for a period of eight years with option to extend for a further eight years.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Danielle Durrans, said:
“We understand the importance of reliable waste and recycling collections. It’s a service we all use and we want it to be as efficient, sustainable and resilient as possible. As we approach the last years of our current waste contract, we’re planning ahead to ensure we can continue to provide a good service which delivers value for money.
“Thanks to the efforts of Calderdale residents and the range of materials collected at kerbside, we’ve been able to achieve consistently high recycling rates and low levels of contamination. It’s very important that we can retain this level of performance and the proposals we’re considering as part of a joint venture would replicate the current service with added value through additional food collections.
“Entering into a joint venture arrangement would offer a range of benefits, giving the Council more control over the services and offering flexibility around how the service could be delivered in the future.”
The Waste and Recycling Partnership report will be discussed at the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 4 November at Halifax Town Hall from 4pm. The meeting will also be streamed online at https://calderdale.public-i.tv/core/portal/home(external link)