Southern councils to begin plasterboard recycling trial

Two companies, Gypsum Recycling UK and a consortium including Kent-based NTFW and Skipaway have been awarded the contracts to run the trials, with Gypsum receiving 138,000 and NTFW/Skipaway 192,000.

Plasterboard recycling could become common place at CA sites if the trial is a success

Gypsum Recycling will be working with Hertfordshire county council, Wiltshire county council, the Isle of Wight and the London borough of Bromley. NTFW/Skipaway will be working with district councils in Kent.

The trials are aimed at evaluating whether plasterboard waste can be collected at household waste recycling facilities. If the trial is successful, WRAP believes that it could see 30,000 tonnes of waste plasterboard per year diverted from landfill.

Gypsum Recycling's trial will take place at 14 sites and run until October 2006. The company will process the plasterboard at its Wiltshire site to extract the gypsum, this recyclate will then be re-used in plasterboard manufacture and other applications.

NTFW/Skipaway's work with nine centres in Kent will run until December 2006, the waste will be processed at NTFW's site at Ashford.

Assessment

In addition to the collection trials, the company will also be assessing a range of equipment to process the waste at its Ashford site.

Stuart Storton, managing director at NTFW, told letsrecycle.com: “Our brief involves looking to use the recycled material in three different ways. Returning the recycled gypsum to plasterboard manufacturers, trial plasterboard waste as a soil improver and seeing how the residues act as a soil stabiliser.”

Both projects will feature awareness campaigns with local advertising and media articles as well as an internet-based information service.

In Wiltshire the council will have five sites separating plasterboard – Purton, Stanton St Quinton, Devizes, Salisbury and Compton Basset. The sites are operated by the county council's waste contractors, Hills Recycling.

Andy Conn, the county's waste services manager, said: “We are delighted Wiltshire has been chosen to take part. Our recycling centres are amongst the best performing in the country and we are always looking for ways to improve the service we provide.”