SITA Sembcorp begins construction of £200m EfW
Construction has begun on consortium SITA Sembcorp’s £200 million energy-from-waste facility at the Wilton International site on Teesside.
The 430,000 tonnes-per-year capacity plant is being developed for the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA), and will generate 49MW – enough to power around 63,000 homes.
The facility was given the green light by its joint venture partners SITA UK, Sembcorp and the ITOCHU Corporation in December 2013 following their election to deliver a 30-year recovery contract for the Merseyside and Halton councils worth £1 billion.
Construction activities – which will sustain between 200-300 jobs – are being managed by joint venture firm Clugston Wilton Ltd. Civil works will continue over the next few months with the main plant structure to follow later this year.
Operations are due to commence at the plant in 2016, with a new rail hub and transfer station at the existing Potter Group Rail Freight Terminal in Knowsley also set to transport the waste.
Carl Beer, chief executive of MWDA, said: “The contract and the development of this new facility brings more than £100M worth savings to the Authority and its partner councils over the current costs and will enable the Authority and its partner councils to divert more than 92 per cent of its residual waste from landfill.”
Andy Stokes, project director of SITA Sembcorp UK, said: “It is a challenging and exciting project. The initial preparatory works are progressing to plan but safety remains our top priority throughout.”
FEAD calls for action on EDI for waste shipments
FEAD has called for a common standard between EU member states that would allow electronic exchange of data on waste shipment movements.
The waste organisation welcomed a feasibility study presented by the EU Commission for the establishment of an EU Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for waste shipments – which would replace current paper-based processes under the Waste Shipment Regulation.
FEAD is convinced that EDI would increase traceability of shipments and improve functioning of the internal market – as well as speed up administrative procedures.
Nadine De Greef, FEAD general secretary, said: “The joint effort should be made right now. As long as there is uncertainty about the configuration of the future EU system, member states will be reluctant to make the necessary investments in their national systems.
“We support the option recommended by the study of having a hybrid system in which existing national systems are connected to a central EU interface. This will allow a gradual integration of national systems into a harmonised European system.”
Nick Clegg visits Axion Consulting
Axion Consulting has highlighted the innovations made in recycling technologies during a visit from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
Mr Clegg visited the Manchester-based resource company while on his ‘Northern Futures’ campaign this month, spending an hour at the Bramhall offices where staff and apprentices described developments in fuel cell recovery and end-of-life vehicles.
He also met project managers running national collection schemes for recycling carpets, vinyl flooring and rigid PVC, and heard of the need for enforcement of environmental regulations to ensure a ‘level playing field’ for businesses like Axion.
Axion director Roger Morton said: “Mr Clegg was also interested in the different routes by which our apprentices had joined us; either from school sixth form or switching from a BTEC science course to gain practical experience on the job. Our policy has always been to support job opportunities for talented local people, whether through graduate recruitment, student placements or apprenticeships.”
Mr Clegg was accompanied by Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle & Bramhall and Liberal Democrat Chief Whip and Jeremy Meal, Liberal Democrat candidate for Bramhall South and Woodford.
Ricardo-AEA wins OPRL contract
Consultancy firm Ricardo-AEA has been awarded a two-year monitoring deal to support the On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) scheme – a UK initiative to encourage recycling messaging on consumer packaging.
The scheme, operated by not-for-profit company OPRL Ltd, is a recognisable label providing information on the recyclability of an item’s packaging components.
Ricardo will monitor how the label is used in practice, ensuring retailers and manufacturers are providing correct information to consumers.
Tim Lineham, Ricardo-AEA programme manager, said: “Over the next two years, Ricardo-AEA will provide OPRL Ltd with useful insights into the volume of products carrying the label and will also help retailers and manufacturers to provide accurate information to customers, improving environmental impact through reducing unnecessary waste.”
Jane Bevis, chair of OPRL Ltd added: “We are looking forward to working with Ricardo-AEA over the next two years: they have an excellent track record of helping retailers cut waste and have supported other sustainability labelling initiatives such as the EU Water and Energy label schemes.”
UKCM secures four-year Birmingham contract
UK Container Maintenance (UKCM) has won a four-year contract to provide mobile and factory-based repairs on bins provided by Birmingham city council.
The Cheshire-based firm – which was awarded the deal via the ESPO ‘refuse and recycling’ 860 framework – will also supply spare parts for four-wheeled bins on behalf of the council.
UKCM’s co-founder, Emma Elston, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have secured a four year contract with Birmingham city council, providing our services to its extensive waste facility.
“We already supply to a significant number of councils from across the UK, helping them save a substantial amount of money on the maintenance of their waste containers and we look forward to doing the same with Birmingham city council.”
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