SOUTHEND Council is poised to reveal who it wants to take over a new waste contract for the city.

Cabinet is set to agree the preferred bidder when it meets on Monday, September 16 but for now is keeping the identity of the contractor a secret. The council’s current contract with Veolia expires in April next year.

As part of the new scheme, food waste will continue to be collected weekly. How and when recycling is collected will be confirmed once the preferred bidder is in place.

Current weekly waste collections are set to be scrapped with non-recyclable rubbish will be collected fortnightly. Most homes will also switch from plastic sacks to wheeled bins for both recycling and waste that cannot be recycled.

Lydia Hyde [pictured inset], councillor responsible for environment and waste, said: “In October 2023, the previous administration determined that we would change to alternate weekly collections, and since then the bidders have been preparing bids on this basis. Following the submissions of these bids, these have been extensively evaluated for quality, cost, and robustness of the proposed solution.

“At this stage, to protect the integrity of the procurement process, ensure it remains open and fair, and protect taxpayer’s money we cannot comment further until the announcement of the preferred bidder. Naturally, residents have lots of questions, concerns, and ideas regarding the new scheme, and we are committed to engaging with the public in response as soon as we are able.”

Ms Hyde added: “A decision on the preferred bidder will now be made by cabinet. If agreed, all bidders will be informed of our decision on September 17. This will start the legally required ‘standstill period’ which lasts for ten days ahead of full contract award.

““The new contract will officially start on April 5 2025, but after this the successful contractor will need time to transition to the new scheme. So, we do not expect any major changes to how recycling and waste is collected until the end of October 2025. There will be much communication between the successful contractor, council and residents between April and October 2025.”

The council has previously said flats and residents with insufficient room for wheelie bins will continue to receive sacks. A survey of residents’ individual needs is expected to begin once the contract is agreed.