Veolia Environmental Services expects to have its new multi-million pound integrated waste management facility fully operational by January 2012, it was announced today (November 10).
The 60 million facility, built on behalf of Southwark London borough council, incorporates a mechanical biological treatment facility (MBT), a materials recycling facility (MRF), a recycling and reuse centre and a visitors education centre.
The facility is part of a 665 million PFI-funded contract between Veolia and Southwark borough council (see letsrecycle.com story). The site is located off the Old Kent Road in Southwark and is the former location of a gas works depot which was demolished as part of the development process.
The integrated site, an education centre and the introduction of commingled recycling by Veolia are all intended to help Southwarks aim of raising its recycling rates, currently 25%, up to 40% by 2014.
Commenting on the commingled approach, Simon Bussell, managing director for Veolia in Southwark, said: It is quicker and easier to do a mixed collection and much more efficient from our perspective.
Inner city
The Southwark development is considered by Veolia to be the first inner city facility of its kind in the UK. Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling at Southwark, said the location was vital. He said: I think it is really good that local people can see where there waste is going and that something is being done about recycling and reusing.
The close proximity of the facility to the area whose waste it treats also helps to cut down on emissions, Cllr Hargrove added.
Currently the facility will only be dealing with household waste from the Southwark borough although it has the capacity to support other boroughs in the future. The whole facility will be capable of dealing with 200,000 tonnes of waste per year with the MRF expected to process 87,000 tonnes of the waste which arrives at the site.
The MRF is now operational and is processing some waste from the borough but the MBT facility is still under construction. The technology used at the facility was developed by Veolia with the manufacturers, OKLM and WTT, specifically for the site.
Collection
Under the 25-year contract Veolia provides a fully integrated waste service to Southwark, under which they have introduced commingled dry recycling collections as well as food and garden waste collections (see letsrecycle.com).
Residents in Southwark currently have a fortnightly collection of commingled which is collected in a blue bin or box for residents living in houses and a clear bag for those in flats. Garden and food waste is collected weekly from brown wheeled bins and residual waste is collected on alternate weeks to the recyclables in a green wheeled bin.
Register for free to comment