The architect of the largest waste contract ever let in Western Europe has shed light on the work he put in to get the project off the ground.
Manchester city councillor Neil Swannick was elected as chair of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority in 2001 and was the driving force behind the authority's £3.8 billion PFI contract with Viridor Laing, which was signed in April 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).
He was also tasked with helping to get funding in place from banks who were unwilling to lend during the credit crunch – saying that getting the funding in place sooner would have been the one thing he could change about the project.
During this time, he was influenced by not only the community recycling sector but also the experiences of countries such as Canada, which were ahead of the UK in their thinking on waste.
Today, as the conurbation starts to reap the rewards and new waste facilities developed under the deal come online, the councillor is pleased that Greater Manchester is leading the way in sustainable waste management.
Already, a raft of new facilities are starting to serve residents and in July, the first mechanical biological treatment plant being developed under the deal started to take shape (see letsrecycle.com story).
Cllr Swannick said: “We know we have succeeded in something in politics when we see people coming on board in what we have done. In this case it is improving the environment and the economy at the same time.”
To read more of this exclusive interview, please click here to view page 12-13 of the August 1 edition of Resource Management & Recovery magazine.
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