Construction is set to start today (October 20) on the second mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility being developed under the long-term waste contract between Cumbria county council and Shanks Group.
Representatives from the waste management company and the council are set to attend a special sod-cutting ceremony this afternoon at the Sowerby Woods Business Park in Barrow.
In addition to the construction of the two MBTs, Shanks will also be developing and managing Cumbria's 14 household waste recycling centres under the deal.
Councillor Tim Knowles, cabinet member for waste management at Cumbria county council, said: “I'm delighted building work is now getting underway in Barrow as on the back of construction plant near Carlisle that started last year – where the development is progressing to plan – this really marks a big step forward in our adoption of MBT technology.”
“The introduction of MBT technology will revolutionise the way we deal with waste in Cumbria and ensure we have a greener, more cost-effective system of managing rubbish for years to come. Sending large amounts of waste to landfill is quite simply no longer a viable option.”
The Barrow MBT received planning permission in March this year (see letsrecycle.com story) and is set to become operational in 2013, one year after the projected start of operations at the Carlisle facility. Its feedstock will come from Barrow borough council, Lakeland district council and Eden district council.
Contract
Together, the two MBTs will cater for around half of the 300,000 tonnes of waste handled by the county council each year. The plants will take around 120,000 tonnes-a-year once they become operational but have a combined capacity of 150,000 tonnes to take into account future population growth.
The MBT process, which is designed by Italian firm Ecodeco, sees waste enter a reception hall before being shredded, this is then sent to a drying hall where air is drawn through the waste. This causes the biodegradable fraction of the waste to breakdown.
It is then passed through wind-sifters which remove light-weight material, while metals are extracted by magnets. The remaining residual fraction is then screened for glass and stones before being composted.
The light-weight fraction, known as solid recovered fuel (SRF), is expected to be burnt as an alternative to fossil fuel by local businesses and Shanks has previously stated it could also use the material in its own cement kilns.
Ian Goodfellow, managing director of Shanks, said: “We are delighted to be marking the commencement of construction of the Barrow MBT facility. This development is the final part of a solution which will enable Cumbria to divert up to 80% of household waste it produces from landfill.”
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