Designed to provide a “one stop shop” for waste from builders' and household skips, the centre at Bunny Lane in Timsbury, can handle around 200,000 tonnes of waste a year.
Launching the facility with girlfriend Melanie Slade, Theo said: “I am delighted to be here today to formerly open this centre. Recycling is essential and we must have more of these establishments so that we can recycle more of our waste as the earth's resources are finite.”
“I was impressed with the large amount of concrete that would normally go to landfill and is now being recycled for use as a green alternative for construction use instead of Somerset Limestone,” he added.
Investment
At the Bunny Lane site, which has seen investment of over £1 million, equipment includes a £150,000 Finlay screener to separate builder's waste into different grades. Household waste such as mattresses and doors is meanwhile separated indoors using a trommel, magnets and blowers and picked by hand to ensure that as much is recycled as possible.
Waltet Materials and RFSF Recycling use the waste to produce crushed concrete and screened soils which it sells to building contractors and is used in agriculture. It is also currently investigating markets for chipped waste wood. All paper, plastic and brick rubble is also recycled.
Although the site has only just been officially opened, the recycling side of the business has been operating for eight months and already received considerable custom. This includes a deal with Hampshire county council contractor Veolia Environmental Services to take “hardcore” waste from Hampshire's civic amenity sites. And, business is expected to increase once the landfill side opens in September.
RSFS director Mark Howard told letsrecycle.com: “There is a massive demand for commercial waste recycling in Hampshire. We are not up to full capacity but we are busy even without the landfill.”
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