The facilities are being built as part of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authoritys (GMWDA) 25-year waste disposal contract with Viridor Laing, signed in April 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story). They include a combination of Mechanical Biological Treatment and In-Vessel Composting plants, a Materials Recovery Facility and Household Waste Recycling Centres, across 27 sites.
It is hoped that the new developments will enable GMWDA to divert around 75% waste produced in the Greater Manchester area away from landfill which, if accomplished, will be one of the highest diversion rates in the UK. The authority is responsible for 5% of the UK’s municipal waste and is striving to ensure that the UK complies with its requirements under the European Union Landfill Directive.
The project heralds the development of the first thermophyllic MBT/AD plant anywhere in the UK at the Reliance Street facility in Newton Heath. The plant will treat organic waste and will contribute towards Greater Manchesters overall recycling output. Unlike other forms of anaerobic digestion, thermophyllic AD produces a fine compost-like product, rather than the digestate produced using conventional AD.
Four of the five MBT plants built under the PFI use AD to produce green energy including the Bredbury Resource Recovery Facility, which also houses a household waste recycling centre, a transfer loading station and an education and visitor centre (see letsrecycle.com story). So far the improvements have helped recycling and composting rates across Greater Manchester rise from 21% in 2004/05 to 50% in 2010/11.
Completion
Viridor Laings construction contractor Costain has indicated that it intends to finish commissioning all but one of the remaining plants by the end of the year. Work on the final IVC is underway at Under Hulton in Bolton and it is due to be fully operational by September 2013.
Results published yesterday (November 24) by Pennon Group Plc, the parent company of Viridor, confirmed that the majority of construction work had now been completed, and that so far, the results have been positive.
The statement said: As of 30 September, 37 of the 42 facilities had been completed and handed over to Viridor to operate. The client, Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, has reported 99.7% customer satisfaction with the Household Waste Recycling Centres.
Pennon also stated that the EfW plant it is developing with Ineos in Cheshire is also currently in construction, will contribute further to GMWDAs efforts at diverting waste away from landfill: As reported previously, solid recovered fuel produced from the waste will be used to generate heat and power at a plant being built at Runcorn in Cheshire. Phase I is being built primarily for the greater Manchester Waste PFI and Phase II will be available for the market generally, as steeply rising landfill tax drives residual waste disposal away from landfill towards EfW.
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