Infrastructure news in brief

Cornwall to benefit from new MRF

The 2.5m facility, which includes a new MRF by O.Kay Engineering, will become part of the integrated waste management operation run by local firm H&A Recycling at their expanding Redruth site.

The plant will be commissioned by O.Kay Engineering in Q4 of 2012 and H&A Recycling will be inviting local schools and other visitors to see more clearly what the facility is achieving. The new plant will take in all forms of commercial material and, over a series of screens, magnets, picking lines and advanced technologies, it will process and recover card, paper, plastics, metals, film, wood and other recyclables.

This is great news for our customers and great news for Cornwall, said Allan Holmes, managing director of H&A Recycling. Were building this MRF to give customers a new solution for recycling their waste. They dont want to send it into landfill any more than we do. This is the sustainable solution they are seeking.

Planners recommend Norfolk EfW is approved

A report from Norfolk county councils planning department has recommended that the Willows Power & Recycling Centre at Kings Lynn is approved. The energy-from-waste incinerator is being proposed by the Cory Wheelabrator Consortium under a 25-year, 500 million contract signed with Norfolk county council in February 2012 (see letsreycle.com story).

A decision on whether the recommendation is taken forward is due to be taken by the councils Planning Committee on June 29.

John Boldon, from the Cory Wheelabrator Consortium, welcomed the report. He said: We believe our application is robust and will provide a much needed, proven and long-term solution to Norfolks significant waste problem.

Caernarfon AD plant gets green light

Gwynedd Council has granted planning permission for green energy company BiogenGreenfinch to build and operate a new anaerobic digestion plant at Llwyn Isaf, Caernarfon.

The 11,000 tonne per year plant will process food waste by means of anaerobic digestion and generate 3,500 megawatt hours per year of renewable electricity for the national grid. The digestate produced as part of the process will be spread on local farmland.

BiogenGreenfinch met with schoolchildren and villagers from Clynnog Fawr, near Caernarfon at a special event the previous week to detail its plans for the food waste recycling plant at a former landfill site. Children from Ysgol Brynaerau had fun viewing a model of an anaerobic digester and taking part in a green energy quiz, whilst more than 50 people visited to learn more about the plans and chat to representatives from BiogenGreenfinch.

Richard Barker, chief Executive at BiogenGreenfinch, said: The event proved extremely successful, with visitors to the exhibition genuinely interested in our plans for an anaerobic digester. We are very pleased with the Councils decision to approve the plans for the AD plant and are keen to start on the construction and of course to work alongside Gwynedd Council to help it promote its recycling message.

Shropshire construction waste MRF opens

The leader of Shropshire council officially opened a new materials recycling facility (MRF) for construction and demolition waste at local aggregate company Tudor Griffiths Groups Wood Lane facility in Ellesmere, Shropshire, last week (Tuesday, June 12).

The company said the facility would it allow it to recycle 90%of waste materials brought in to the site and vastly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, while creating up to 30 jobs. Wood, bricks, metal, paper, cardboard, ferrous metal and many more materials are all separated and recycled into usable products. The soil that is removed is used for restoration projects.

Part of the funding (245,000) for the 2,000 square metres MRF was awarded by WRAP in 2008.The facility has been designed and constructed in conjunction with McPhillips, a civil engineering and building development company based in Telford. Every aspect of the plant has been carefully considered to provide environmentally sustainable features including; the use of low energy lighting, an ergonomically designed picking station, a system to harvest rainfall from the plants roof and use it on-site for washing vehicle wheels and making use of electricity generated from its efficient on-site power plant.

Company managing director, Tudor Griffiths said: The TG Groups MRF is Shropshires most progressive waste management facility and will rank alongside the very best in the country. We believe this investment is good news for our company, local employment and the environment.

Plans unveiled for Northamptonshire gasification plant

Plans for a gasification plant which will convert non-hazardous household and business waste into heat and power have been unveiled by Suffolk-based Origin Renewable Energy.

The company has submitted a planning application to build the 96,000 tonne-per-annum capacity facility at Magnetic Park in Desborough, Northamptonshire, to provide heat and power for local homes and businesses. The plant would use gasification technology developed by Energos to divert waste from landfill and will also incorporate a visitors centre that will offer training, education and meeting facilities to the local community.

The planning application for the Energy Centre was submitted to Northamptonshire county council at the end of May. The council will consult widely with statutory consultees such as the Environment Agency, Highways Authority, Kettering borough council and Desborough Town council, and will also seek the views of local residents and other interested parties.