However, a spokeswoman said that material is no longer being taken to the site for treatment, and that HLC cannot say when operations may resume.
The fire broke out last week at the 32 million plant near Neath, South Wales, which includes a recycling centre and an incinerator. The plant has an annual capacity of 170,000 tonnes, involving waste disposal contracts from Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend councils.
It took over four days for fire fighters to bring the blaze under control. The fire was reported to have started in the composting area of the site, and did cause some structural damage to the building.
The alarm was raised just before midnight on Monday August 11, 2003, but it took the fire service until Friday to put the fire out. The fire fighters used nine fire engines, three turntable ladders, breathing apparatus and hazardous substances equipment to bring the fire under control.
A joint statement from representatives of the Portuguese company that runs the facility, HLC, and the Mid and West Wales Fire Brigade, said: “The fire was contained with a bio filter area and has gradually been brought under control. The affected area involves 150 tonnes of pine roots, used a as bio filter material, as part of the compost production process.”
“Heat from the fire has caused some structural damage to the building. Public safety has remained a key priority throughout this incident, and advice has been sought from technical officers from HLC and the Environment Agency, in order to contain fire fighting water and minimise environmental pollution.”
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but is being “actively investigated”, the statement said.
A spokeswoman for HLC told letsrecycle.com: “We're still taking stock of the damage from the fire at the moment. Material is not being treated at the site at the moment, and we cannot say when it might be operational again.”
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