Reconomy wins waste and recycling contract with Karbon Homes

Outsourced services provider to the circular economy, Reconomy, has secured a waste and recycling contract with Karbon Homes, a leading Housing Association providing affordable, social, specialised, shared ownership and market rented homes.

The contract, which started this year, supports the management of waste services for around 30,000 properties across the Northeast of England and Yorkshire.

Initiating the contract under Covid guidelines, the Reconomy team successfully mobilised services remotely with all meetings and reviews being held virtually initially and have since held an onsite review.  Waste collections and the associated management is now underway across the portfolio of properties and already 1,400 tonnes of waste have been collected, with 94.7 per cent of it being successfully diverted from landfill.

Waste is produced primarily from void properties, responsive maintenance and fly tipping sites. Reconomy provides direct tipping of mixed general waste services in addition to broader waste services, managed on-site solutions and technical and hazardous waste removal.

Kevin Martin, Key Account Manager at Reconomy, said: “We are excited to become Karbon Homes’ waste partner. In addition to the day-to-day waste services, we have a great deal of expertise and experience to share throughout the contract. Although an outsourced service, our team will act as an in-house support to Karbon Homes relating to all things waste. We are always close to new technologies that are emerging from the industry and, where appropriate, will introduce them to our customers and into future ways of working.”

As part of the contract, Reconomy has introduced its Tipping App which digitally enables sites to locate local tipping sites, book services and see all documentation online, saving time, cost and emissions. Karbon Homes Operatives can book and process all tipping movements without the need to ring or email anyone. The app sends all documentation such as electronic waste transfer notes (WTN) immediately to the Reconomy Portal where it can be stored, accessed and downloaded. It also has route planning that means a driver can plan via the app which tip site is located near or on route to the next job, saving time and emissions.

Mark Thrumble, Contracts Manager at Karbon Homes, said: “It was important for us to have a single supplier that we could trust to coordinate and manage the waste across our large portfolio of properties. Having a consistent approach is key to optimising our efficiency and ensuring we are staying ahead in terms of improving the way we manage our waste, both from a financial but also an environmental perspective. Since the start of the contract, we have already seen a saving in admin that is involved in managing jobs and the associated paperwork.”