The council’s chairman, Lesley Game, cut the ribbon at the new HWRC ahead of its opening to the public this week.
The HWRC is on two levels allowing full waste containers to be removed safely while residents use the site to deposit their recyclables and waste. This means it can operate without disruption.
Its design incorporates solar panels and rainwater harvesting. Additionally, the aggregate used in the build was a recycled composite using plastic bags that have been thrown away.
Access
An access junction has been constructed to the north of the existing priority road junction linking it to the nearby Allington energy from waste facility which is also run by FCC.
The site will include an allocated ‘reuse space’ for items that still have life left in them, which is due to start later this year.
The HWRCs in the mid and east Kent area have been managed and operated by FCC Environment under a contract awarded in November 2020. The five-year contract also covers the haulage of waste from the HWRC sites and three transfer stations. In addition, FCC also manages the Pepperhill facility in West Kent.
KCC’s cabinet member for environment, Susan Carey, said: “KCC’s investment in this new site, our 19th in Kent, underlines the council’s commitment to the environment and to helping our residents recycle.”
‘Positive move’
Steve Longdon, operations director at FCC Environment said: “Designing and building new facilities with the public needs at their heart is a positive move not just for the user, but the new site will enable us to maximise the amount that is recycled making an environmental contribution by doing the right thing. I am delighted to be marking its opening in this way.”
Each year Kent’s HWRCs receive approximately 140,000 tonnes of waste. In 2020/2021, Kent county council’s recycling rate was 44%.
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