South Hams District and West Devon Borough Councils will be working in partnership with FCC Environment to provide waste collection, recycling and street and toilet cleaning services from the 1 April 2019.
The move will save South Hams and West Devon Councils over £5 million in the next 8 years, according to FCC.
Key services for each council will continue and will be extended to offer “extra services” to help improve the local environment. Details of what these will be provided in the coming months, FCC says.
Cllr John Tucker, Leader of South Hams District Council said: “It not only offers better value for money for the tax payer, but also huge environmental benefits. Big improvements are coming to the recycling service over the next two years. I am looking forward to working with FCC Environment who are bringing their industry knowledge and expertise into our services.
“We have been listening to residents and we know that you want to be able to recycle more at the kerbside, particularly glass and mixed plastics. It will take a little while to put everything in place but the good news is that you will be able to recycle more from the kerbside by the end of 2020.”
Cllr Philip Sanders, Leader of West Devon Borough Council said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to make such substantial savings at a time when we are facing a huge budget gap. The bonus is that will be able to improve vital services and increase our recycling rate even more over the coming years.”
Residents should not see any immediate changes to services and the Councils will be working closely with FCC Environment over the coming months to plan the changes to the recycling collection services.