If approved, the facility will among other things bulk waste for onward transfer around 35 miles away to Biffa’s Newhurst energy from waste (EfW) plant in Leicestershire, which is due to come online this year (see letsrecycle.com story).
The site will also bulk recyclable materials for onward transfer to Biffa’s Tipton transfer station around 26 miles away and construction waste to its Oldbury transfer station around 30 miles away.
The Agency consultation, launched yesterday (27 March), is seeking comments on the plans before the regulator decides whether to issue Biffa environmental permit for the proposed facility.
‘Pleased’
In a statement given to letsrecycle.com, a Biffa spokesperson said: “We’ve been working hard getting the site ready for the past few months, so we’re really pleased to have now moved to this next stage of the process.
“Once the site is operational, our expert team will process non-hazardous industrial and commercial waste from Coventry, Warwickshire, Solihull, Birmingham and Banbury, including general waste, dry mixed recycling, construction and demolition waste, wood and food.
“Around 40 people will work at Meriden, including six new roles.”
The consultation will run until 26 April.
Newhurst
Biffa’s Newhurst EfW facility entered hot commissioning last year. It is jointly owned by Covanta, Biffa and investment firm Macquarie’s Green Investment Group. For Biffa the facility is seen as very significant because it represents its first move into having a stake in large EfW infrastructure.
Biffa gained planning permission for the site in 2012 and the facility will operate on a ‘merchant’ basis, meaning it is not tied to any particular local authority contract.
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