Procuring waste and recycling services for Surrey schools

If your school needs a new waste or recycling service there are some things to consider:

• Follow your school’s procurement process. This might include getting three quotes, and comparing the quality of the service as well as the cost.
• What types of waste and recycling will you need to have collected? These could include:
  • Food waste
  • Dry recyclables e.g., paper, glass, plastic, metal
  • General waste
  • Confidential waste/shredded paper
• How often will you need the bins emptied, and will you be able to reduce/stop collections over the holidays?
• What bin capacity do you need? Be sure to understand what you are paying for and make sure you aren’t paying to have bins emptied that you don’t need.
• Does the collecting organisation offer anything else beneficial e.g., posters, internal bins, school assemblies or support in reducing waste and increasing recycling?
• Make sure the collecting organisation has a waste carriers’ licence.
• You may wish to ask for references to check.
• It may be cost effective to have different organisations collecting different types of waste.

Where to look for collection organisations
There are several factors to consider when looking for collection organisations to ask for quotes from:

• If there is an organisation that already collects waste from your school (and you are looking to extend the service to include recyclables), you could see if they can facilitate what you need.
• Your local district or borough council (they sometimes offer a service to schools).
• Veolia have a countywide contract with Surrey County Council, which offers competitive rates to schools. Contact donna.dorey@veolia.com for more information.
• Other commercial waste collection companies.