Shanks gains approval for Kettering MRF expansion

Announcing the approval yesterday (February 28), the Milton Keynes-based waste company said it was also changing the focus of the facility from dealing with construction and demolition waste to sorting commercial and industrial material.

The project, which was approved by Northamptonshire county councils development control committee on January 25, will involve the extension of an existing building and the construction of a new canopy to cover processing equipment that is currently located outside.

Along with other works, the changes will together allow the facilitys capacity to significantly increase from its current 125,000 tonnes-a-year throughput.

The re-developed facility is set to focus on processing both commingled recyclables and general waste, extracting and sorting materials for recycling and also producing a renewable fuel.

Shanks UK managing Director Ian Goodfellow said, The new facility, which incorporates technology and experience from across the Shanks Group, will further increase our ability to extract value from the material we handle.

The location and capacity of the MRF will mean that customers from across the region benefit from increased recycling and diversion from landfill, he added.

Capacity

The planning report considered by Northamptonshire county councils development control committee in January reveals that Shanks originally applied for permission to increase the facilitys capacity to 265,000 tonnes a year.

However, this was downscaled to reflect the withdrawal of other related applications to increase the catchment area for waste and to allow 24-hour working.

The report notes that current throughputs are around 70,000 tonnes-a-year, down from 95,000 tonnes-a-year pre-recession, but states the applicant anticipates a return to the pre-recession operating volume of 95,000tpa within two years, with another 76,500 tonnes-a-year proposed to reflect a move to a double shift system.

Approximately 50,000tpa of this waste is to be sourced from the applicants waste transfer stations within 30 miles of the site with the balance to be secured from the commercial and industrial sector, again in accordance with the permitted catchment area, the report adds.

On this basis, the applicant anticipates being able to justify the investment in the new building and plant. The applicant requires a further 45,000tpa capacity to provide for additional waste volumes arising from sources within the permitted catchment area.”