First trade waste recycling centre in NW opens

The Trade Recycling Centre (TRC) at Haydock near St Helens is intended to work on the same principle as a household waste and recycling centre and help commercial traders in the region to have access to recycling facilities.

The TRC project is being delivered by Envirolink Northwest, a regional development body for environmental services in the North West, along with environmental services firm Centrol Recycling and waste management consultancy Gordon Mackie Associates.

Under the TRC project, SMEs will sign-up to the service on a membership basis at a fixed cost, which will enable them to recycle materials such as paper, cardboard, rigid and mixed plastics and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The one-acre site is expected to handle 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes of material each year.

WRAP announced plans for the pilot scheme in March 2010 – alongside a pilot scheme for trade waste bring banks – and intends to monitor the TRC project after six months of operation with a view to rolling out the service model if it is successful.

Commenting on the TRC, Amy Glover, business development manager at Envirolink Northwest, said: “The disposal of trade waste has traditionally presented local businesses with some difficulties. Lack of capacity, opportunity and incentive has discouraged the practice of trade recycling however the development of facilities such as these will improve the region's recycling rates.

“We are confident that the pilot site will be a success and we hope that this will be the first of many to appear across the North West.”

The site is intended to serve between 5,000 and 6,000 businesses in the region once it opens next week.

Rachael Oborn, group chairman of Centrol Recycling Group – which designed the TRC – added: “By offering fixed cost recycling and a seven day site opening we are confident TRC will become an invaluable tool for SMEs to recycle more waste in a cost effective way.”

Hampshire-based Hippowaste launched a similar venture in July 2006, with a dedicated trade waste recycling centre targeted at businesses in the vicinity (see letsrecycle.com story).