The pioneering recycling plant was hit by a major fire at the end of June, which was thought to have been caused by a welder setting light to the machine’s rubber membrane. The cost of the damage has now been estimated at about 2 million.
Biffa said the Ball Mill’s internal rubber membrane has had to be completely replaced, and damage to the roof of the building has had to be repaired. The company has also replaced electrical motors, wiring and compressors that were damaged in the fire.
Industrial cleaners were also required to clean layers of thick black soot from furniture, floors and walls. Damaged ceiling tiles were removed and computers sent away for professional cleaning, the company said.
Mick Davis, general manager at Biffa Leicester, said: “We are pleased that the Ball Mill will be up and running again before too long. Biffa Leicester staff have remained positive and have worked hard through very difficult conditions towards getting the facility back online and to ensure that the waste collection and green box services were unaffected by the unfortunate setback.”
Once operational, the Ball Mill is expected to process about 100,000 tonnes of material from Biffa’s 25-year PFI-supported contract with Leicester city council. The machine’s key component is a large drum containing 10kg steel balls, which breaks up materials into particles below 88mm in size in a fully-automated process, before materials are recovered by recycling, composting or energy-from-waste.
Biffa Leicester said that since the fire, it has reviewed its maintenance procedures, and has worked with the fire services to improve emergency contingency plans.
Although collections for residents were unaffected by the fire, Biffa revealed that while the plant was out of action, Leicester’s recycling rate effectively dropped from 35% to 19%. This lower level was still an improvement on the recycling performance in the year before, which the company said indicated the success of Biffa Leicester’s green box kerbside recycling scheme.
With the start up in October, Biffa is “confident” that its target of recycling 40% of the city’s waste by 2005/06 will be achieved.
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