INVESTORS : Post

Straight plc (AIM: STT), the environmental products and services group, is pleased to announce that it has been appointed by the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation ("ESPO") and the Central Buying Consortium ("CBC") to supply a range of products under a three year refuse and recycling product Framework Agreement ("the Agreement") which is expected to generate revenue in excess of £8 million for the Group.

Under the Framework Agreement, Straight has been awarded joint supplier status on an extensive range of core products including steel wheeled bins, kerbside boxes and food waste caddies. The Group has also been awarded sole supplier status for the provision of compost bins to ESPO and CBC's members and end customers.

Straight is the only company to supply such a range of products under the Agreement and the Group believes that it will provide considerable opportunities for its core products whilst also benefiting local authorities through their ability to aggregate purchasing.

Straight's selection as sole supplier of compost bins under the Agreement is a direct result of the early termination in September 2009 of WRAP's, the government funded Waste & Resources Action Programme, scheme to supply home compost bins to local Councils in England. Having supplied more than half of the compost bins used by WRAP during its six year campaign, and created the model on which WRAP's campaign was based, Straight is ideally placed to provide local authorities in England with a competitive compost bin programme.

ESPO and CBC are local government purchasing and distribution consortia with a potential geographical spread from North Nottinghamshire through to Hampshire, including Bristol in the West and Norfolk in the East. This Framework Agreement includes an option to deliver to individual households, public sector bodies and organisations, as well as UK-registered charities based in the area.

Commenting on the news, Jonathan Straight, Chief Executive of Straight plc, said:

"We are absolutely delighted to have such a prominent position on this Framework Agreement. Building on a relationship established in 2006, we are now able to offer almost our entire range through ESPO. Steel wheeled bins are now included for the first time and the range includes kerbside boxes, foodwaste caddies for indoor and outdoor use, woven kerbside bags, compostable liners made of paper and bioplastics and compost bins for bulk supply.

"In terms of the home composting campaigns we can now offer to all councils, we are looking forward to returning to the forefront of a market that we led for many years prior to WRAP's intervention."