WASTE management company Yorwaste is now managing and operate all of North Yorkshire’s household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).

The agreement with the county council, which came into effect on April 1, means Yorwaste will manage all 20 HWRCs and the 84 staff who were employed by previous contractor Kier transfer to Yorwaste.

Ian Fielding, the county council’s assistant director for waste and countryside services, said: “The centres will continue to provide re-use, recycling and composting facilities for a wide range of materials.

“However, under the new partnership we will challenge Yorwaste to develop the network further to improve performance and customer satisfaction, divert even more waste from landfill and save money.”

Steve Barker, managing director of Yorwaste, said: “We look forward to working with the County Council to build on the achievements of the previous operator in maximising the recycling and recovery of the material people bring into the sites.

“As North Yorkshire’s largest waste management company, we have access to an unparalleled number of waste transfer sites where we use the latest technology to separate and sort different waste, with the emphasis on recycling as much material as possible.”

HWRCs operate summer opening hours until the end of September, from 8.30am to 5pm, every day except Wednesday.