Household waste and recycling services in the Forest of Dean will be delivered by Ubico Ltd starting from next week (August 5).

Forest of Dean District Council's decision to change provider will bring its kerbside service in line with those of the other five local authorities in Gloucestershire, which already employ Ubico to make refuse and recycling collections from around 270,000 homes in the county.

The change marks the end of the council's long-standing partnership with national waste services provider Biffa.

The move will give the council greater flexibility in how it responds to legislative requirements and financial challenges in the future and open the way for a more joined-up working relationship with its neighbouring councils, where resources and procurement opportunities could be shared to gain efficiencies and cost-savings.

Cllr Andy Moore, portfolio holder for waste and recycling, said: "The district council and Biffa have had an exceptional partnership, spanning 35 years. We would like to thank everyone for their dedication in delivering waste services to Forest of Dean residents during that time.

"We are delighted that, under the upcoming changes, staff currently employed by Biffa will transfer to Ubico, giving job security to those affected and ensuring a strong continuity of service for residents.

"Residents will see very little change to the services they receive in the short term. But the move to Ubico, in conjunction with the council's ongoing development of the new Brickworks site in Cinderford, will enable us to explore options for how we could deliver our waste services differently in the future to make them more sustainable. This move puts us in a strong position to start that process."

Beth Boughton, managing director of Ubico, said: "We are excited to commence delivery of waste, recycling and street cleansing services to residents in the Forest of Dean and to start working with our new colleagues who join us from Biffa.

"Detailed preparations have been made over the past year, in close partnership with our colleagues at Forest of Dean District Council to facilitate a smooth transition of the existing service into Ubico. We would like to extend a thank you to Biffa for their cooperation and assistance in the transition of service between providers."

Ubico currently delivers environmental services to all the councils in Gloucestershire, as well as West Oxfordshire. It already provides services to Forest of Dean District Council, including grass cutting of council-managed land, cleaning and maintenance of public toilets and delivering waste and recycling containers to households. The company also manages five Household Recycling Centres on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council, including Broadwell's Oak Quarry.

Ubico is wholly owned by Cheltenham Borough Council, Cotswold District Council, Forest of Dean District Council, Gloucester City Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Stroud District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

The most recent accounts for the Cheltenham-based company show that turnover for the year 2022/23 was £49.9m, up from £37.6m the previous year.