MBT bid could “quickly” win Norfolk contract, firm claims

The claim came after the county council decided yesterday to drop Waste Recycling Group as its preferred bidder for a 25-year residual waste diversion contract.

The decision was made because WRG has been unable to secure enough land to build its proposed 90 million incinerator. (see letsrecycle.com story).

” We can quickly bring our bid into a position where SRM is given the status of preferred bidder for the contract and is ultimately awarded the contract. “
– SRM spokesman
Sustainable Resource Management – a wholly-owned subsidiary of county council-owned Norfolk Environmental Waste Services and equity group Innisfree – had been Norfolk's reserve bidder for the contract until yesterday's council decision.

But now, the company believes it is in the driving seat to win the contract outright from WRG.

A spokesman for SRM said the company expected to meet the county council soon to discuss the position and move forward.

“Encouraged”
He said: “We are encouraged by this development and hope that, through discussions with the county council, we can quickly bring our bid into a position where SRM is given the status of preferred bidder for the contract and is ultimately awarded the contract.”

SRM said it had “full confidence” in its bid to develop a plant using mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and anaerobic digestion to treat 150,000 tonnes of waste a year that would otherwise go to landfill. MBT uses a combination of physical separation techniques and composting to recycle and stabilise mixed waste.

The spokesman added that the company would start discussions with the local community “to explain the benefits of our technology and the considerable opportunities it offers for sustainable waste management in Norfolk as a whole.”

WRG
Meanwhile, WRG is now picking up the pieces after yesterday's announcement from the county council, with a spokesman telling letsrecycle.com the company would be re-considering the information within its bid before continuing discussions with the county council.

A statement issued by the company yesterday conceded that WRG “has, to date, been unable to resolve issues relating to the use of the land necessary to develop new facilities”.

Commenting on the county council's decision, it said: “WRG understands the reason for Norfolk county council’s decision, as there is a need to provide new facilities quickly in order to avoid fines based upon the extent of diversion of waste from landfill.”

WRG said until its final proposals had been submitted and the county council has appointed a preferred bidder for the contract, it would be making “no further public statements”.

Opposition
Politically, WRG's bid to build an incinerator has been unpopular, with Norwich city councillors and South Norfolk councillors as well as opposition county councillors voicing opposition.

Local campaign group NAIL2 (Norfolk Against Incinerators and Landfill) has added to WRG's difficulties by writing to local landowners urging them not to sell land to the incinerator firm.

Opposition has also come from local paper the Norwich Evening News, which has mounted a campaign to stop the incinerator being built.

Marketing manager of the Evening News Charlie Papworth said: “The Evening News has launched its campaign because we believe that as Norwich's newspaper we are the voice of the city and we are not afraid to fight for what we believe in.”