The waste firm announced this morning (August 20) that the third line which was damaged in the fire last summer is now fully operational, meaning that all lines are now processing waste and producing refuse derived fuel (RDF).
Shanks had previously expected to have the third line operational for commercial waste in June (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, the 180,000 tonnes per year capacity MBT will restart production of solid recovered fuel (SRF) once the refinement section of the facility becomes operational ‘early next year’, the company said.
The August 2014 blaze affected 2,500 tonnes of waste inside line one of the plant’s reception hall (see letsrecycle.com story). 12 firefighters and 81 fire engines attended at the height of the blaze and smoke could be seen for miles around, but the precise cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained.
East London
Situated on Creek Way in Rainham, the plant serves a 25-year PFI contract signed in 2002 with the East London Waste Authority (ELWA), which includes the London boroughs of Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Barking & Dagenham.
In October 2014, the ELWA said that around 4,000 tonnes per month of East London’s waste was being sent to landfill after the Frog Island fire, while some waste was also being diverted to Shanks’ nearby Jenkins Lane MBT plant, which also serves the ELWA contract.
Shanks said: “Due to the efforts of the fire services and the effective emergency procedures on site, there were no injuries and the fire was brought under control without risk to the public. Since the fire, Shanks has continued to accept all contracted waste from ELWA.”
Peter Eglinton, managing director of Shanks’ municipal division, commented: “We are delighted to be operating all three lines at Frog Island and pleased that we have continued to accept all contracted waste, despite the fire last summer. The hard work, expertise and sheer determination of our ELWA team has made this possible. We now look forward to continuing excellent service levels to our customer and to the refinement section becoming operational in early 2016.”
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