The achievement is the result of five years of work with local authorities and businesses across the UK to compost mostly green waste.
Half of the waste has been composted through SITA UK's 13 composting sites and the rest through contracted sites where the company has used the most local facilities for a collection contract.
In 2005, the company's composting portfolio increased with 100,000 tonnes of new capacity being added. This included an in-vessel (IVC) facility in Ellington near Newcastle, a 30,000 tonne IVC at LondonWaste in Edmonton, north London.
Along with this, new open-windrow sites have opened at Flixborough, Lincolnshire and Tees Valley, Cleveland.
Dr Stephen Wise, head of organics at SITA UK, said: “As a country we need to be diverting more and more biodegradable waste away from landfill.
“As these figures show composting can make a real contribution to this and SITA UK is at the forefront of this technology in the UK.”
In 2006 the company's composting portfolio is set to grow further again with another 100,000 tonnes of capacity coming online. This includes the development of IVC and open-windrow facilities in South Gloucestershire and Derbyshire.
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