Building commences on London composting plant

The composting plant, which is situated less than six miles south of the Thames, is the result of a ten year agreement between Thames Waste Management and the London boroughs of Sutton, Merton and Croydon.

Peter O&#39C;onnell, executive head of waste management and transport for the London borough of Sutton, said: “This facility provides us with a cost effective, secure future for our composting. The savings we make will be reinvested in our green waste service, greatly assisting in meeting our BVPI targets.”

The partnership's green waste recycling project received a 2 million grant from the London Recycling Fund. Simon Read, project director of London Waste Action, said: “This is just the kind of project that we had in mind when the London Recycling Fund was established. We are delighted to be involved in the provision of a major new waste treatment facility in London.”

Diversion

The composting facility is being built at Thames Waste's 220 acre integrated waste management centre in Beddington, one of the two major landfill sites in London.

The composting plant will be fully operational by April 2004 and it will receive the borough councils' garden and parks waste which will be shredded before being placed in a series of enclosed tunnels. The material will be aerated to accelerate the composting process and the exhaust air will pass through a bio-filter to remove potential odours.

Alistair Shotliff, development director for Thames Waste, explained that the South London site, easy accessible for the boroughs, is being developed with a variety of facilities to divert more of the incoming waste away from landfill.

He said: “Beddington is being developed to provide a 40,000 tonne per annum MRF for skip waste, a 110,000 tonne per annum treatment plant for biodegradable municipal solid waste with either anaerobic digestion or composting, and landfill capacity for the disposal of residual waste. The facility is strategically located to assist the south London boroughs in reaching their recycling and landfill diversion targets.”