The council has ended a 12-year-long contract with a waste management company to try to cut costs.

Redbridge Council has brought its bin collections back in-house, ending its arrangement with the company Amey. In doing so, it hopes to improve the service.

Cllr Jas Athwal, council leader, said: “This is a project I’ve been working on for a long time and I’m so proud to have successfully brought our bin collections back in-house.

“We’ve cut out the middleman, saving taxpayer money while improving the service for local people & conditions for staff.

“Breaking free of our old contract with a private company is a huge achievement for the council.

“Bringing our waste management back into public sector control will hugely improve our service while guaranteeing better working conditions and pay for our staff and reducing costs for the taxpayer.

“It is a win for everyone involved and I am so pleased to be able to deliver this result for residents and staff.”

Cllr John Howard, cabinet member for civic pride, said: “In Redbridge, we are doing more to improve our borough.

“We promised our residents to bring bin collections back under our control and we have delivered on that pledge. This is a huge step for our residents, staff and the council, and helps ensure our streets are kept clean and green.

“Not only are we ending our reliance on the private sector, we’re now able to improve the service by direct control of how its run and managed.

“I’d like to thank all the staff involved who managed a smooth transfer of the service and I’m looking forward to seeing the huge difference this is going to make for the borough.”

In a statement published on the council’s website, a spokesman said ending the contract means the council will have complete control over waste and recycling collections, rather than relying on a private contractor, giving the council more freedom to redesign and improve services to better serve residents and staff.

It is understood no jobs have been lost at Amey as a result of the authority’s decision.