Kent county council reveals composting success

And, one of the councils responsible for collecting the waste which is being sent to the 50,000 tonne-a-year in-vessel composting facility said that it expected using the plant to have helped to boost its recycling rate from 40% in 2007/08 to 47% for 2008/09.

Phil Beddoes, head of waste and street scene services for Tonbridge and Malling borough council – one of two local authorities sending waste to the plant under the contract – explained how the facility was contributing to the borough's improving recycling rate.

“We have a record of high performance within the borough, with 90% of waste now being made use of; 43% being made into electricity and the rest into compost,” he said.

The Blaise Farm Quarry facility has already won praise from Kent county council for allowing both Tonbridge and Malling borough council and Tunbridge Wells council to increase the range of materials they collect (see letsrecycle.com story).

Partnership

And, Kent county council's waste operations manager, Peter Horn, explained that they would be looking to build on the early success of the partnership with New Earth Solutions.

“This plant is a key element in Kent's integrated waste strategy aimed at maximising the proportion of waste we recycle and compost and minimising the amount we send to landfill, through waste management systems that are both sustainable and affordable,” he said.

“The facility is already successfully processing all the separately collected organic waste from two of our districts. We are now looking to build on this platform by expanding the service into other areas, and further improve Kent's overall environmental performance,” he added.

Residents

New Earth Solution's commercial director, Peter Mills, praised the efforts of local residents for helping to achieve the early success.

“We know it takes time and effort to separate and recycling organic and kitchen waste and are delighted that local householders have responded so positively in helping to divert this waste away from landfill,” he said.