Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council has agreed a conditional 16-year contract with Chester-based waste management firm Material Works Ltd to construct and operate a residual waste treatment facility.
Under the deal, 35,000 tonnes of the boroughs black bag waste would be processed at a “recycling facility” using both proven and as-yet-unproven technology, which Material Works claims would achieve a recycling rate of 90% and send zero waste to landfill.
The choice of Material Works comes, according to a borough report, as a result of a “direct negotiation process for a Framework Agreement and Contract to recycle waste that was currently landfilled, following a procurement exercise authorised by Cabinet that formally failed”.
Now, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk borough council’s chief executive, Ray Harding, is to serve ‘notice’ on Norfolk county council of the intention to withhold waste collected in black bins for the purposes of recycling by the borough council.
Opposed
Theconditional “Black Sack Waste Recycling Contract” has been selected by the local authoritywhich is stronglyopposed to a Norfolkcounty councilcontract with Cory Environmental to developa 268,000-tonne-a-year capacity energy-from-waste facility at a site in Kings Lynn.
The proposed Material Works facility would, claims the authority,recycle waste for a gate fee of 55 per tonne, utilising a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) process using anaerobic digestion technology and a new process to create products for the construction industry.
It is hoped that the developmentwill be ready to begin taking waste from the borough in April 2014. However, the contract is subject to a number of conditions being met and Material Works has not yet been granted planning permission or an environmental permit.
Verification
The borough council has asked for positive endorsement from an independent verification of the viability of the recycling process set to be used at the facility. It must also be satisfied that the proposed facility will achieve End of Waste certification and that recovered materials will be eligible for recycling credits.
Material Works is in the process of finalising a contract to set up a demonstration plant at an as yet unnamedsite in Norwich before a full-scale facility can be built. Negotiations are underway for several possible sites in Kings Lynn for the final proposed facility.
The firm hope to have the demonstration plant in Norwich up and running by April 2013 and this is also one of the conditions on which the contract with the borough council is based.
Excited
Commenting on the contract award, managing director of Material Works, Robert Billson, said: We are very excited that we have achieved this. We have been developing these processes for many years up in Chester.
He added: We already have financing for the first phase next year for around 10 million. There are a number of parties interested in coming in with us for the build and subsequent operation of the plant.
He said the overall level of investment needed for the project would be around 80 million: We think this is a very attractive proposition.
Commenting on the demonstration plant, Mr Billson, said: This plant is really to educate the public, county members and other groups, and to show them what is possible with this technology.
Technology
Mr Billson is a graduate in engineering and economics from Birmingham University with a background working in aluminium and plastics. He set up Material Works around six months ago. The company is registered to Duratrust Ltd, an equipment and technology developer and supplier established by Mr Billson in 2003.
Duratrust is based in Chester, where Mr Billson said he has been developing the recycling technology and processes proposed for the facility in Kings Lynn.
Under the proposed process residual black bag waste will be received at the facility and recyclable materials such as glass, ferrous metals and cardboard removed and sent away for recycling. The borough council has said that animal or human waste in the form of nappies etc would not cause any difficulties to the process.
The residual waste would then be put through an anaerobic digester, with the firms Saltus machines then processing composted material with additional plastics and other waste to create Omnicite pellets. These pellets can then be processed at the proposed facility to create a variety of products used in the construction industry, such as pallets made from a material the firm has developed called Rexlyon, Mr Billson explained.
Wood
An information leaflet distributed by the firm about its technology claims this material, manufactured from waste plastics, has the same workability as wood and will never rot.
Mr Billson was previously the managing director of non-metal product manufacturer Durawood Ltd and plastic product manufacturer Save Wood Products Ltd, both of which went into liquidation in 1992. He said he first began developing the technology proposed for Kings Lynn while working for these firms, but that a factory fire forced their closure.
Viable
Cllr Brian Long, deputy leader of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council, said: The initiatives taken by Material Works Ltd and the introduction of their technology to us has enabled the council to secure a viable and cost-effective alternative to landfilling of waste, which is more environmentally and financially beneficial for the authority and for our council tax payers.
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Commenting on the Material Works technology, Cllr Long said: Some parts are extensively proven and others have been intensively researched for a number of years.
He added: Obviously I think we need to know that the levels of recycling of residual waste proposed are achievable, but they are confident they can achieve that.
Kings Lynn EfW enquiry
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council had been seeking an alternative to the proposed EfW facility in Kings Lynn, which was granted planning permission by Norfolk county council earlier this year (see Letsrecycle.com story here).
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council is preparing to present a case against the EfW facility during the forthcoming public inquiry.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles will take the final decision on whether to approve Norfolk county councils decision to grant planning permission for the facility.
Commenting on the viability of both the Material Works facility and Norfolk county councils proposed EfW facilty being used to process waste in the area, Mr Billson said: Put it this way if you had a skip of waste that costs 55 a tonne to recycle with us, compared with, say, 108 a tonne to dispose of, I think you have to go with the person achieving the lower waste price. In the long run we also believe more jobs will be created with our proposal.
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