The baler is the first phase of a development programme to improve the fuel-making capacity of the business, which will also include the integration of a waste shredding unit to refine the quality of RDF produced.
Part of a 25-year municipal contract with the East London Waste Authority (ELWA), the installation sees the Jenkins Lane facility capable of producing the RDF for the first time.
ELAW manages over 530,000 tonnes of waste per year, with landfill diversion rates set to rise to 80% by the end of 2013/14. As a result, fuel placed to market is also projected to exceed 200,000 tonnes per annum.
At present, the plant accepts waste from three of the four London boroughs serviced by the contract, which are Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Redbridge.
Peter Eglinton, managing director of Shanks UK, Peter Eglinton said: We are delighted to install the second baler at our Jenkins Lane facility, which is capable of diverting an additional 30,000 tonnes from landfill. This shows our commitment to make more from waste by offering improved diversion rates for our client.
The announcement coincides with data published today showing the extent of RDF exports from the UK to energy-from-waste plants in mainland Europe, which was published for the first time by the Environment Agency yesterday (see letsrecycle.com story).
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According to the data, Shanks exported under 40,000 tonnes of RDF to Europe between January and April this year compared to top exporters SITA UK and Biffa, which sent 120,000 and 116,000 tonnes respectively.
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