99.91% collection efficiency across 13 million annual pickups
Raising recycling rates and improving waste collection for the London Borough of Bexley.
0 %
Collection efficiency rate
42.7 → 0 %
Recycling rate improvement
0 km
Highways cleaned & maintained
0 %
CO₂ reduction target with HVO
The Challenge
A borough of 250,000 needed more than a contractor — it needed a partner.
Bexley is one of London’s largest outer boroughs, providing essential public services to a community of over 250,000 residents. Managing waste collection, street cleansing, and recycling infrastructure at that scale — across 570km of public highway — demands operational precision and long-term strategic thinking, not just trucks and timetables.
The council sought an experienced operator to improve recycling rates, enhance site efficiency, and boost trade waste revenue while ensuring an excellent customer experience. And with the Government’s Simpler Recycling legislation on the horizon — introducing mandatory food waste collections for all residents including high-rise — Bexley needed a partner who could deliver today while planning for regulatory change tomorrow.
"Over the last three years, we've worked closely with Countrystyle to improve the service for our residents, and we welcome their ongoing investment."
Councillor Richard Diment
The Approach
Operational transformation, not just service delivery
"We invested heavily in transforming the culture of the operation, and all our crews now have an annual training programme, which has helped us retain a motivated workforce. Combining this with the improved reliability of our fleet through better maintenance, and investment in new technology, we have been able to focus on delivering a great service for local residents."
Phil Bovis
Results in Detail
Measurable impact across every service line
Best-performing month: November 2025 — just 681 missed bins from 1,064,104 collections.
13 million collections per year
Municipal waste, recycling, and food waste collections across the entire borough.
570km of highway maintenance
Street cleansing, gully network upkeep, and full winter provision including gritting and snow clearance.
40,000 receptacles distributed annually
Ensuring every household has the right bins and containers for correct waste disposal.
700 skip collections per year
All skip work carried out on behalf of the borough under a single operational umbrella.
138,000 trade waste collections
Managing commercial waste on behalf of the borough, generating revenue and improving service.
Thames Road Depot management
Full facility management of the borough's central depot, waste transfer station, and two recycling centres.
Strategic Thinking
Advising patience on fleet replacement ahead of regulatory change
With Simpler Recycling introducing new requirements for food waste collections to all residents across the borough including high-rise, Countrystyle advised Bexley Council not to procure a replacement fleet until the full implications of the legislation became clear.
Rather than risk a costly decision based on incomplete information, Countrystyle undertook a detailed review of the existing 10-year-old fleet and identified trusted partners to carry out a targeted refurbishment programme — improving reliability and safeguarding frontline services while allowing the council to defer the capital expenditure needed for a full fleet replacement.
HVO fuel transition
Countrystyle is currently trialling Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil across the Bexley fleet, targeting a 90% reduction in CO₂ emissions — without waiting for full electrification infrastructure.
"We are looking forward to working together to improve services further and we particularly want to increase recycling even more and to help Bexley to be an even cleaner and greener borough."
Councillor Richard Diment
Comprehensive waste solutions for local authorities.
If your borough needs a partner — not just a contractor — we'd like to talk.