RU Recycling had planned to build a 6 million materials recycling facility in Angler's Lane, Spondon, to sort materials from Derby city council's kerbside recycling services. These materials currently go to the company's plant in Darwen, near Blackburn.
Instead, materials collected from Derby households will have to be taken to Lichfield in Staffordshire for processing.
After petition signed by 1,800 residents was handed in opposing the company's plans, managing director Arthur Ready decided to withdraw the planning application for the project.
Lichfield
The company is now hoping to re-start the planning process with the new site at Lichfield, using the same technology that was to be used at Derby. The new plant is to be up and running by June 2006, according to R U Recycling.
Mr Ready said despite the residents' objections, the likelihood of Derby city council granting planning permission for the MRF at Anglers' Lane had been high.
But, he said bowing to residents' wishes to take the plant elsewhere could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the company. The Lichfield site would mean the possibility of longer operating hours and a location closer to transport links for access to the rest of the UK.
Licence
Mr Ready told letsrecycle.com: “The new plant was originally set to have a 65,000 tonne capacity, but the new site we have picked out will hopefully offer the possibility of getting a 24-hour operating licence so we could hit 90,000 tonnes.
“Waste from Derby, as well as our southern contracts, can go to Lichfield – creating less environmental impact than if the southern contracts came all the way up to Derby. So other than a month or so delay this move is a good thing for us,” he added.
RU Recycling's system, already up and running in Darwen, allows the collection of glass, cans and plastic together, with paper collected separately. The company uses machinery imported from US firm Andela Products.
The new site in Lichfield already has planning permission suitable for the recycling plant, Mr Ready said, with only a waste management licence to get.
The original site in Derby had been chosen after alternative sites of Stores Road or Ascot Drive were considered. Residents in Spondon objected largely on the grounds of the additional traffic the RU Recycling plant would have generated.
Mr Ready explained that he backed out of using the site after listening to the locals' arguments. He said: “How do you expect people to participate in a kerbside recycling scheme when you are stuffing a site they don't want down their throats. They weren't averse to a recycling site being built, but it was the traffic increase they were against.”
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