David Alexander, head of waste management, for Kent County Council, has outlined the council's policies for increasing recycling in the county which centre on an energy from waste plant and a solid waste waste and energy recycling facility (Swerf).
Currently 18% of waste in the county is recycled with the remainder landfilled in Essex and Kent. But the new contracts will see an end to waste being taken to landfill sites outside the county. Kent hopes that the facilities will help the council hit its targets of 20% recycling by 2003/4 and 30% by 20005/6. The council is hoping to reach separate recycling targets of 28% by 2003/4 including hard core and rubble.
A combined recycling and energy recovery plant (Swerf) built by Brightstar Environmental of Harrow will form a key part of the county's long-term waste management plan. And next week Mr Alexander, councillors and other senior council officials are visiting the only existing Swerf at Wollongong, Australia. Unlike the proposed short-term contract for a Swerf in Derby, Mr Alexander said that it is a long-term and not an interim contract.
Mr Alexander explained how there are 12 district council areas in Kent and four are contracted to the Waste Recycling Group energy from waste plant with a full front-end MRF at Allington. The plant has full planning permission which is now going through Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regime. The council has now proposed that three more districts send their waste to the Allington MRF and waste and energy facility while the Swerf will process waste arising from Dover and Shepway districts.
The other three districts will continue to landfill their waste but there will be schemes introduced to separate dry recyclables. The Swerf contract provides the opportunity to increase the amount of material it takes as government targets change.
Negotiations
Mr Alexander said: “The County Council cabinet has approved the award and we have a contract for Allington plant for four districts. The extra three district areas and acceptance of offer for the Swerf are subject to final detailed contract negotiations.”
Waste Recycling Group's planned Allington energy from waste plant near Maidstone has full planning permission and will take up to 150,000 tonnes of household waste a year from the region over the next 25 years. The plant is expected to be operating by late 2004.
The Swerf plant is part of a joint tender with Brett Waste Management to build a Swerf at its Shelford landfill site near Canterbury. The Kent plant will have an initial capacity of 110,000 tonnes per year, with a final capacity likely to be 165,000 tonnes. The Swerf should also be operating by 2004 although it is subject to planning and the IPPC process.
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