The 85,000 tonnes-a-year capacity plant is to be operated by Veolia Environmental Services as part of its 26-year, £850 million integrated waste management contract with the local authority.
Speaking at the opening, Ms Kennedy said: “It's so important that we continue our good recycling habits and facilities like this will go a long way to helping Nottinghamshire residents do their bit.”
“We know that we are running out of landfill space and we need to invest in infrastructure to help us recycle. I am pleased to see this happening in Nottinghamshire,” she added.
At the opening, the Minister was joined by children from Holly Primary School in Forest Town, Mansfield, who were the first to use the interactive education equipment at the facility's education and visitors centre.
County councillor David Kirkham, leader of Nottinghamshire county council, said: “The facility also plays an important educational role boasting an interactive educational centre for visitors to find out more about the importance of recycling and how we can all make a difference.”
Integrated
The Nottinghamshire MRF is intended to play an important role in increasing the county council's recycling and composting rate to 52% by 2020. Veolia has also been given the green-light by the local authority to develop a £90 million energy recovery facility at the Rufford Colliery, near Rainworth (see letsrecycle.com story).
Paul Levett, deputy chief executive of Veolia, said: “The MRF represents a major recycling milestone in our long-term integrated waste management contract with Nottinghamshire county council.”
“We have a sustainable plan to make Nottinghamshire one of the top environmental performers in the UK and this is one of the many ways we're helping Nottinghamshire meet its environmental targets and divert waste from landfill,” he added.
Work on the MRF has been completed after it received a planning green-light from the county council's planning and licensing committee in December 2006 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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