WASTE management company Yorwaste says it is gearing up for one of the most important years in its 12-year history.

The Northallerton-based firm is bidding for several major new waste management contracts with City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

Neither authority is revealing the names of the bidders wanting the work, but Yorwaste is the first of the competing companies to go public about its intention.

The contracts involve the management and operation of two dozen civic amenity sites across the county, as well as the transportation and recycling of materials from them.

Yorwaste has just submitted the first of these tenders to City of York involving a ten-year contract to look after three household waste recycling centres at Foss Islands, Towthorpe and Beckfield Lane.

The company already manages these sites under a £460,000 contract, but under the terms of the new deal, it would have to make further improvements - including introducing new sites - as City of York has set high recycling levels in its bid to demonstrate national best practice.

An announcement has been promised by the city council "in the next few weeks".

Yorwaste has also revealed that it has prepared a similar tender for North Yorkshire County Council, which is seeking a company to operate and maintain 21 of its household waste recycling centres.

The company is already responsible for 20 of these sites but, again, the local authority is asking for proposals which would boost recycling. This contract is for an initial two years, with an option of a further two after that.

North Yorkshire County Council is also seeking to award a one-year contract for fridge recycling and a ten-year disposal and composting contract. By the end of March several bidders for each of the contracts will be whittled down for a final choice by early in May.

Steve Grieve, Yorwaste's managing director, said: "It is safe to say that we are entering a very important phase of the company's development and these contracts will play a crucial part of this development.

"City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council are two of our main customers and as well as ensuring there is a certainty for waste disposal, they are also looking at how to maximise recycling and recovery at different facilities.

"We want to continue working with the authorities to improve recycling performance in the area and we recognise the need for investment in resources and infrastructure to assist in meeting the demanding targets that have been set.

"We hope that our track record, expertise, facilities, local knowledge and desire to succeed will stand us in good stead when these decisions are made."

Updated: 12:07 Friday, February 04, 2005