The family-run company is thought to have fought off at least two other contenders for the three year contract who are believed to have included Cory Environmental which has been running the plant since Shanks relinquished its contract over a year ago. It will take over operation of the facility, which was built in 1993 and currently has 5 million worth of equipment for sorting dry recylables, from October 2 2004.
For Cutts Bros, which will use Community Waste Ltd as its operational vehicle for the plant, operating the MRF marks a big step forward for the firm. Cutts Bros has traditionally specialised in the recycling of cardboard but in recent years has expanded its activities into other materials and also runs Cutts Recycling. It carries out some sorting activities at its existing premises in Sheffield and Doncaster.
Community Waste is a joint venture company between Cutts Recycling and London-based Atlantic Paper which handles contracts for waste paper and other recyclables throughout the UK and the rest of Europe as well as Asia.
Expanding
Cutts director Richard Cutts said: “This is an exciting new development for us and we are looking forward to expanding household recycling in the area as well as developing industrial and commercial recycling.”
Gill King, recycling and waste minimisation officer for Milton Keynes Council, confirmed that the council is in the process of awarding a contract to Cutts Bros to run the RF for the next three years. The company has guaranteed to sell materials generated from collections in Milton Keynes and will pay a rent for use of the plant.
It is thought the MRF has a capacity of 75,000 tonnes a year with about one third of this already taken up.
Community Waste co-director Philip Serfaty highlighted how Community Waste had developed “strong and sustainable” international markets adding that local authorities have been “missing out on the expanding world demand for recovered materials by often ignoring this aspect. This provides not only an essential safety valve but also provides long term supply opportunities for the increasing levels of materials being collected.”
He added that Community Waste has developed “strong and sustainable” international markets.
Region
Mr Cutts told letsrecycle.com that the company believed it was now able to offer a “good sorting facility for other local authorities in the region”. And, he was keen to emphasise the company's enthusiasm for operating the MRF. “We can offer a future that nobody else was willing to give to that extent. We believe that it makes sense for surrounding local authorities not yet equipped with sorting facilities that rather than investing in MRFs they can form strategic contracts with us.”
With regard to Cutts strength in the north of England, Mr Cutts added: “We do have large volume operations in the north and we want to replicate this in the south.”
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