The contract, for household as well as commercial collections, is set to begin next August.

It replaces South Gloucestershire’s 25-year private finance initiative with Suez and, according to the council, will deliver better value for money.

The local authority said the new contract would include improvements including upgraded in-cab systems for better live reporting, communication with crews and monitoring of operations.

The council’s recycling centres and waste transfer stations will not be part of the new contract, and will be brought back in-house.

South Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for waste and recycling, Sean Rhodes, said: ‘The new contract will allow us to make even greater progress to increase recycling rates.

‘It provides the flexibility to, over time, recycle more and different materials from households at the kerbside, making it easier for everyone to play their part to improve our environment and reduce waste.’

The contract is subject to final ratification by the council’s cabinet in November.

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