The 13 million plant, on the A31 near Alton, will process 85,000 tonnes a year, sorting material from kerbside collections in the 14 local authority members of Hampshire's waste partnership, Project Integra.
Contractors Ballast Plc will construct the plant, which is scheduled for completion in the Autumn of 2004. The equipment contract for the new MRF is with Leicestershire-based OKLM Recycling Technology.
Once the plant is open, the county will no longer have to send material outside its borders to be processed. Over the past year, the high level of recycling collections in Project Integra coupled with planning problems causing delays to new infrastructure have meant material has had to be sent to MRFs in Reading and Essex (see letsrecycle.com story).
Working alongside the Portsmouth MRF, which has just reached the 200,000 tonne processing mark, Project Integra's waste contractor, Onyx-owned Hampshire Waste Services, say the new Alton MRF will be the “most advanced in Europe”.
Commenting on the new facilitie, Hampshire Waste Services director John Collis said: “The county currently recycles around 25% of its waste, a massive 840,000 tonnes is collected in Hampshire each year. The new facility in Alton is essential and I am delighted that work has started. Recycling has been warmly embraced by the county’s residents and about 90% of Hampshire homes now have a kerbside recycling collection.”
He added: “This second MRF will enable us all to work towards achieving the goal to recycle 40% and beyond.”
The north eastern section of the Alton site will be used as a waste transfer station for the transfer of non-recyclable waste, which will be taken for incineration or as a last resort, landfill.
Register for free to comment