West London Composting runs a 2 million in-vessel composting system at its Highview Farm site in Harefield.
 West London Composting will take about 13,500 tonnes of green waste each year from Hillingdon at its Harefield site |
The company will take about 13,500 tonnes of material from the high-performing London borough each year. The contract is for seven years, with three one-year extensions.
Hillingdon is thought to be the best borough in London at the moment for recycling and composting, with unaudited figures suggesting the council recycled 23.9% of its waste in 2003/04. The borough has already exceeded its 2003/04 and 2005/06 recycling targets.
Duncan Jones, waste development manager for the London Borough of Hillingdon said: “The agreement with West London Composting represents a fundamental step in securing a long term outlet for the compostable wastes handled by the borough.
“Being able to use the West London Composting facility is crucial to the ongoing success of Hillingdon's recycling programme which has seen the Borough achieve its statutory recycling targets 2 years ahead of schedule and as such is the only London Borough to do so,” Mr Jones added.
Vessels
Material will be brought daily to the West London Composting site, where it will be processed with the company's Crambo shredder. Material is then transferred to one of eight composting vessels, which can each hold 150 tonnes of green waste. The waste undergoes in-vessel composting over seven to 11 days, reaching a temperature of 60 degrees centigrade for two consecutive days. The material is then transferred to a different set of eight vessels for the same process to be repeated.
At the end of the in-vessel process, the composted material is matured in an open-windrow facility for up to 10 days depending on end market requirement. Material is then screened producing a compost that the company said is “friable, moist and odourless, suitable for a wide variety of individual or commercial requirements”.
West London Composting's standard product will be 10mm general compost ideal as a soil conditioner or for blending with sands, the company said.
Commenting on the Hillingdon deal, West London Composting managing director Martin Grundon said: “The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has stipulated that local authorities must now make significant strides in recycling and composting, and we are delighted to be partnering with the London Borough of Hillingdon, to help it reach recycling targets in accordance with EU directives.”
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