South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils in Oxfordshire, England, UK, have extended their respective residential waste collection contracts with waste management company Biffa.
The contracts have been extended for another two years until June 2026.
Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire previously had contracts with Biffa spanning 13 and 14 years, respectively.
The partnership has contributed to South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse reportedly being among the top five local authority recycling areas in the country.
South Oxfordshire, which includes towns such as Didcot Thame, Wallingford, and Henley, boasts a 64% recycling rate while Vale of White Horse, covering areas such as the Oxford suburb of Botley, Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage, recycles 63% of its waste.
These figures place the districts second and fourth, respectively, in England's recycling standings.
Under the contracts, Biffa is responsible for collecting and recycling cardboard, cans, glass, and plastics, as well as residential food waste.
This collected waste is converted into biogas, which is then used to generate electricity for the country's national grid and produce biofertiliser for agricultural use.
An average of more than 20,000 tonnes of compost from garden waste is said to be processed annually, thereby benefiting local farmers.
Biffa South and Vale senior business manager Francis Drew said: "Alongside reuse and surplus redistribution, recycling produces fewer carbon emissions than disposal and using virgin material to make new goods from scratch.
“This not only helps in the fight against climate change but ensures the preservation of valuable natural resources. It’s wonderful to see so many residents in Oxfordshire sharing this vision of a sustainable future, and I’m delighted we can continue to build on the progress we’ve made together so far.”
According to Biffa, the extension of its contracts will provide additional time for the councils to develop a new waste strategy fit for the forthcoming decade.
Last March, Portsmouth City Council in the UK partnered with Biffa Commercial to launch a plastic recycling initiative across the city.
