Shanks pointed to the existing high demand for the RDF on the continent as one of the drivers for the move and also the reclassification of some waste treatment facilities under the Waste Framework Directive, which has seen the classification of some facilities within the waste hierarchy raised from disposal to recovery.
A spokesman for Shanks told letsrecycle.com: “Whilst Shanks remains committed to developing UK outlets for SRF there is currently an over capacity in European energy recovery facilities and the reclassification of these facilities for recovery rather than disposal has resulted in the cross border transportation of Shanks SRF product becoming a sustainable option.”
The shipment of waste material for disposal abroad is illegal under the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007.
Shipment
Shipment of the material to the Netherlands is set to take place “in the coming weeks”, with Shanks currently finalising logistical arrangements with outlets in the country. The spokesman added that there was potential for the amount of RDF exported to increase over time.
He said: “Whilst conditions remain favorable we will seek to continue to provide high value and sustainable solutions for our customers. There is scope to increase the tonnage being sent to Holland, but we need to ensure all parties are happy with the arrangement.”
In July 2009, Shanks explained that it was not purely focused on sending RDF to the domestic construction and cement market but had a “number of alternatives” in line for the fuel produced by facilities such as its MBT facility at Frog Island in East London (see letsrecycle.com story).
Agency
The Environment Agency confirmed that the arrangement was the first of its kind in the UK, and stressed that energy recovery of fuel “is not dumping”, while exporting waste overseas to be landfilled remains illegal.
A spokeswoman said: “The Environment Agency recently approved in principle to an application from Shanks to export 40,000 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to Holland and Germany within the next 12 months. This is the first application we have approved in principle to export RDF. No fuel has yet been exported.”
Waste management firm Hills group revealed in April that it would also be looking to export RDF to mainland Europe, with plans announced to send 20,000 tonnes of RDF per year to Germany, once its 60,000 tonnes-a-year capacity MBT facility at Westbury becomes operational (see letsrecycle.com story.
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