BIFFA has begun an eight-year contract with Winchester City Council.

This sees a new waste strategy for the district including lower emission vehicles and free electrical items collections.

The services will cover household waste and recycling, plus new and improved approaches and technology which will support the council's work towards its sustainability goals.

Simon Baddeley, commercial director at Biffa, said: “It is more important than ever to ensure that we’re managing our customers’ waste as sustainably as possible to reduce the impact of waste on the environment.

"We are looking forward to continuing our work in the Winchester area and to introduce these new services to support Winchester City Council. Helping our customers to recycle more and reduce carbon emissions is a key part of our long term sustainability strategy.

"The new electrical recycling collections and lower emissions vehicles will help Winchester manage waste in a more environmentally friendly way.”

New refuse vehicles are being introduced which are fitted with onboard technology which will provide real-time data to Winchester City Council and Biffa about any missed collections or issues.

Campbell Williams, service lead for environmental services at the council said: “Winchester City Council is today beginning our new eight year contract with Biffa to support our ambitions to become carbon neutral.

"After an open tender process, Biffa were chosen because they shared out vision for excellent customer service, value for the council tax payer, and an improved environment.

"We have been working with Biffa during the COVID- 19 pandemic and the performance of their crews has been fantastic during this period, and we are aiming to build on this relationship.

"Whilst we can see benefits immediately through the new vehicles and new services being offered to residents, there are many longer term benefits which we want to work with Biffa to deliver, such as access for community groups across Winchester to the Biffa Award grant scheme.”