The plant will process 200,000 tonnes of waste materials per annum and is expected to achieve recycling rates of over 90%.
The Trafford plant is the first in a series of ‘new generation MRFs' which Biffa is planning, including state-of-the-art equipment, configuration and design.
It will sort a typical range of materials including paper, card, plastic films, hard plastics and metals.
The majority of the waste received for recycling will come from Biffa's commercial and industrial customers in the Greater Manchester area, but the plant will have the capacity to take municipal material too.
Dr John Casey, Biffa engineering director said: “The plant uses a unique combination of mechanical and optical sorting systems and has been designed to operate with very high levels of automation and efficiency making it the most advanced plant in the UK.
“This is the first of a new generation of material recycling facilities that we will be building across the UK as we move more of our customer's waste to recycling and resource recovery”.
Biffa provides waste collection, treatment and recycling, and disposal services to around 70,000 local and national customers in the industrial, commercial and municipal sectors.
The company currently operates 20 recycling plants across the UK and recycled over one million tonnes of paper, card, plastics, glass and other materials in 2008. Some plants use simple mechanical separation with screens and trommels. Other sort mixed and commingled wastes mechanically and by hand.
When the Trafford plant is fully operational in January 2010 up to 40 people will be employed and the local economy is expected to benefit by an estimated £3 million.
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