A NEW company will take over getting rid of Ceredigion’s residual waste with a requirement that 90 per cent avoids landfill.

A procurement process was launched after the joint contract with Pembrokeshire County Council was scrapped in August last year following a “number of difficulties and issues.”

Ceredigion County Council’s cabinet member for highways and environmental services Cllr Dafydd Edwards said that a temporary measure was undertaken which saw waste sent to landfill.

“What we want is a long-term solution and to make sure our waste does not go to landfill,” sad Cllr Edwards.

Cabinet was told there was a lot of interest in the contract, with three progressing and a final two meeting the technical requirements.

“We’ve come to a decision on which of the two was more advantageous,” added Cllr Edwards.

Members approved the most “beneficial ” contract for the treatment of residual and bulky household waste for a two-year period, with an option to extended with a minimum requirement of 90 per cent to avoid landfill.

It includes the haulage of the contract waste from transfer stations.

Cllr Mark Strong asked if there was assurance that if there was no capacity for incineration, waste would not be shipped out without the council having any control.

He heard that the chosen company had said if there was no capacity at one site it had others it could use in the UK.

The “breakdown” of the previous contact and subsequent costs were not discussed in enough detail in the reports to members, Cllr Ceredig Davies said, adding that it should have been subject to scrutiny.

Full details of the contract awarded and to which company were included in exempt “pink” papers and not discussed publicly.

The recommendation that cabinet agrees to award the contract to the “most economically advantageous tender, subject to 10 day statutory standstill period” was approved.