Steve Brine has welcomed measures that will ensure a single waste removal scheme will service local businesses after Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) agreed a deal last week.
Southern Waste Management will now collect and separate waste from nearly 700 Winchester businesses, signalling the end of the current system where 19 different contractors provide the service, which has led to an 'unsightly mix' of skips and bins across the city centre.
BID Executive Director Professor Chris Turner said: "Our objective is to get all of our members on to this scheme. The bins will be BID branded and will get rid of the multiplicity of bins across the city and the 19 different companies servicing them at the moment."
Southern Waste Management was chosen particularly because of their high-tech, green facilities.
He continued: "We wanted a trade waste system that was green and had the possibility of smaller lorries and allow our members to move from black sacks to one European style bin."
Local MP Steve Brine added: "This is an issue I am very familiar with through a number of discussions with local businesses and councillors. I am very pleased that, after nearly a year of negotiations, this has been resolved, and I look forward to seeing the new scheme in operation. We need to keep up the ambition though as this scheme only covers the BID area and there are wider areas that need service in this respect."
Pictured; Steve discusses waste collection with Ben Ward, of the Railway Inn on St Pauls Hill
More information...
Find out more about BID at www.winchesterbid.co.uk.
