Decision details

To award a contract extension to Plan B for a period of 2 years from 1 March 2026 for the provision of a recycling materials broker service with an approximate value of £1 million per annum from the sale of recycling materials on behalf of Cheltenham Borough Council.

The Council, as a waste collection authority, is required to collect waste and recycling from the kerbside at its own cost. These costs need to be mitigated by the sale of the recycling materials collected and with the current budgetary pressures maximising the income received from the recycling materials collected is a financial necessity. The level of expertise required to deliver this is not available in house therefore contracting this out is necessary.

In February 2023 a cabinet member decision was taken to award a contract to Plan B to run from 1 March 2023 for 3 years with 2 year extension clause included. This decision extends the existing contractual arrangements with Plan B in line with the 2 year extension clause included within that contract.

The contract will continue to cover all current core recycling materials collected at kerbside and gradually include all materials collected either at Kerbside, and via bring banks, now and during the contract term, to maximise income received by the authority including.

The additional financial and performance reporting available as part of the contract will help deliver the authority's priority in relation to the climate emergency by enabling decisions that support the circular economy and a reduction in carbon emissions.

Officers have considered whether the service could continue to be delivered without this contract in place however in-house expertise is not available to secure the required levels of income from the sale of recyclable materials particularly now the markets are more volatile and haulage is problematic. The expertise provided by Plan B safeguard income and provide more resilience to sell material of different qualities at the highest price and also leverage the best haulage arrangements in a very competitive market place.