Contract hire and fleet management company Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) is celebrating winning potentially the UK's largest-ever municipal vehicle hire contract, to provide vehicles for Cory Environmental's new contract with Cornwall Council for waste and recycling collections, beach and street cleansing.

The £14m contract comprises over 200 vehicles for refuse collection, street cleansing and grounds maintenance, including 47 RCV's, sweepers, skip loaders, tippers, graffiti removal and street cleansing units, plus a number of specialist build vehicles for recycling.

In October 2011 Cornwall Council appointed Cory Environmental to deliver waste and recycling collections, plus beach and street cleaning services throughout Cornwall as part of a new contract that retains weekly black bag collections for residents over the next eight years.

Previously eight different providers were responsible for collecting Cornwall's waste and cleaning beaches and streets, under the operation of the six former district councils. With the majority of contracts due to end at the end of March 2012, Cornwall Council took the decision to move to a unified and integrated contract for the whole of Cornwall.

Julian German, Cornwall Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for waste and recycling said: “This contract will enable us to safeguard weekly black bag collections for residents in Cornwall. By providing a single contract we can harmonise the service standards to provide the same level of service to everyone across Cornwall at the same time as reducing costs for council tax payers.”