Following a full council meeting last week, the city council has named a partnership of Yorwaste and Waddington Recycling as preferred bidder for a five-year waste treatment contract.
Yorwaste, owned by North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council, is investing £20 million in the £35 million project, which will create 50 jobs.
Autoclaving involves the treatment of mixed waste at high temperatures, in which biodegradable material is potentially stabilised into a fibrous material, while recyclable materials like metals and glass can be reclaimed.
The autoclave partnership was selected by Bradford from a shortlist of five bidders. The five-year contract is to be an interim arrangement ahead of an expected long-term contract that could be supported by the Private Finance Initiative.
Bradford's executive member for the environment, Councillor Anne Hawksworth, said the reasons for choosing autoclave had been down to cost, increased recycling rates and because the technology seemed more environmentally-friendly than the other options.
“Innovative”
Mark Waddington, chairman of Waddington Recycling, said: “This innovative technology has only previously been applied to domestic waste overseas and this is the first plant of its kind and scale in the UK.
“It will be capable of treating large quantities of domestic waste, making a real contribution to solving what is currently a high-profile problem across the country in an affordable and efficient way,” he added.
The project is Waddington Recycling's first venture into autoclave treatment, although the company has used the technology in its animal by-product rendering business for decades. The designs for the new waste plant are still to be finalised, and markets for the fibrous residue yet to be confirmed.
Mr Waddington became interested in using autoclave technology in recycling after attending a waste management seminar. He said: “It's a move for the family business into a new area using similar technology to what we're already using.”
Recycling rates
The new facility is anticipated to increase the city's recycling/composting rate from the 18.5% rate achieved in 2005/06.
Tony Sharkey, who heads the future technology and developments department at Yorwaste, said: “The process is environmentally sound as it diverts waste from landfill and will help to promote Bradford to be one of the highest recycling local authorities in the country.”
Recycling centre
Meanwhile, Bradford metropolitan district council opened a £1 million household waste recycling centre yesterday, the eighth such site in the district.
The new centre in Midland Road, Manningham, will be open to the public from 8am and is said to be the first in the area to provide an outlet for bulky and excess household waste.
Councillor Hawkesworth said: “This is a major step forward for the council's waste management. By offering facilities close to people's homes to recycle a range of materials we can ensure more rubbish is turned into something useful rather than ending up in landfill.”
The centre offers facilities for recycling glass, green garden waste, cans, batteries, textiles, fridges and freezers, electric items, paper, wood, cardboard, plastics and bulky waste.
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