The site, near Sheffield, is owned by the steel company AvestaPolarit, but will be run by the Green Business Network. Financial support for the project comes from Yorkshire Forward and South Yorkshire Objective 1 Programme, each contributing 700,000, and a 489,000 Landfill Tax Credits Scheme grant from Biffaward.
Initially, the company will compost various organic materials and recycle plastic, but may be expanded in future to cover other materials.
The main purpose of the project is to use the organic waste from washing sheep’s wool, which because of a grease component does not compost easily. After three years of research and development, the right mix of green waste, cardboard and paper, and wool scouring waste has been determined. The site will take local green waste for composting as well as wood, cardboard and paper from the nearby AvestaPolarit steelworks as well as other sources.
Graham Wiles, project manager for the Green Business Network, said: “The total capacity of the site will be 80,000 tonnes per year. But we will probably start at around 40,000 tonnes in the first year and work up.” While the high grade compost will be used on other projects, the lower grade compost from the site will be used to restore AvestaPolarit’s landfill site near the recycling plant.
The steel company’s scrap plastic will be recycled into pallets to move its steel products. Mr Wiles said that one and a half to two tonnes per year of plastics are expected to be recycled on the site from AvestaPolarit’s operations and other sources from Sheffield.
33 jobs are to be created by the project and three hectares of brownfield land will be reclaimed.
Andy Hay, energy and environment manager from AvestaPolarit said: “AvestaPolarit’s policy recognises the principles of environmental protection and sustainable development. Our involvement in this project shows that we are translating these words into positive action. We look forward to seeing this project come to fruition.”
Kerbside
Meanwhile, Sheffield city council has started delivering the first 40,000 blue bins of a total 200,000 expected to be delivered to householders for the city's paper and card recycling scheme. Deliveries of the bins is being carried out by contractors Onyx Sheffield along with the bin manufacturers Plastic Omnium, with all bins expected to be delivered by November 2003.
“We're very positive about the blue bin scheme,” said Judith Turner, director of operations, recycling and collection at Onyx Sheffield. “We've been carrying out an awareness-raising exercise before the deliveries started, and have had a very good response to it – people in Sheffield are very enthusiastic.”
The kerbside collection is an “opt out rather than opt in” scheme, but Onyx have found that so far very few people have opted out – less than the number of residents who have volunteered to spread the recycling message as “Recycling Champions”.
Once the scheme has “settled in”, Onyx have said they will be looking at how to take the scheme forward, evaluating the tonnages being collected and attempting to get those involved who have initially opted out. There are also plans on the horizon to provide a service for high-rise flats and get the community sector more involved in kerbside collections of other materials.
Register for free to comment