Works to dismantle the mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) facility have been underway since last autumn after it was agreed last April that the plant would be closed and removed from the Tovi Eco Park site (see letsrecycle.com story).
The local authority said that following the removal of equipment and machinery from the facility, the plant’s operator UBB Waste (Essex) Limited has been preparing the site for the removal of the ventilation stack in the next month.
Formed by waste management company Urbaser and infrastructure group Balfour Beatty, UBB signed a PFI contract with Essex in 2012 to design, build, and operate an MBT facility in Basildon across a 28-year period (see letsrecycle.com story). The contract was cancelled following significant issues with the facility, with the empty site to be returned to the council once the demolition of the plant is complete.
Works
The council explained that the works are scheduled to be completed in spring 2024. It outlined that parts of the site will be broken down and levelled, and the steel structure of the facility will be removed, section by section, and transported away for repurposing and recycling.
Household waste
The plant was set to help Essex move away from landfill by treating the county’s residual waste. While the council currently sends residual waste to various landfill sites, including the Bellhouse Landfill in Colchester, the local authority said it is “continuing to develop a longer-term solution for the management of household waste in the Essex”.
Cllr Malcolm Buckley, cabinet member for waste reduction and recycling, said the council is “pleased to see the removal works are underway”.
He continued: “As we continue to explore innovative ways to manage our waste in the future, we must ensure the final solution is the most environmentally friendly and sustainable one available.
“We understand people want a new solution as quickly as possible and steps are being taken to move things along, however we must also follow the correct processes and ensure we achieve the right solution for Essex.”
Contract
The council has been in the process of tendering for the disposal of 350,000 tonnes of residual waste annually since August 2022 (see letsrecycle.com story).
While this has been paused and relaunched a number of times since, the latest development saw the council issue a prior information notice as a request for information “to engage with the market”, in the next step of procuring for the contract which the notice now estimates to be relaunched on 2 October (see letsrecycle.com story).
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