24/09/08 Turning Rubbish Into A Resource – Latest technology

West Sussex County Council has unveiled exciting plans to build a plant in West Sussex that will have the potential to turn rubbish into eco-friendly fuel for local buses or refuse collection vehicles, or even provide heating for local homes and businesses. The plant will also produce less greenhouse gases than the waste disposal options currently used.

The County Council today (Monday September 22) announced that Biffa is the preferred bidder for the plant, which would be built at the company’s current landfill site in Warnham, near Horsham.

This means there will be no increase in traffic on local roads into the site, because rubbish from across West Sussex that cannot be recycled already goes to the site.

The state-of-the-art facility, which will use the latest technology and be designed to blend in with the environment, is the latest step in the County Council’s ongoing countywide drive to radically reduce rubbish going to landfill by recovering resources.

Other initiatives already underway in West Sussex are:

· The refurbishing or rebuilding of the County Council’s network of 11 Household Waste Recycling Sites. This programme is making them safer, more customer friendly, quicker to use.
· The opening next spring at Ford, near Arundel, of a new multi-million pound recycling plant – one of the most advanced in Europe – that will revolutionise the way recycled rubbish is handled in West Sussex. The facility will also include an Education Centre, which will be available for visits and tuition about all waste issues.
· A wide range of award-winning initiatives to prevent waste in the first place. These include encouraging the use of real nappies, selling bargain-priced home composters and food digesters, as well as the Waste Reduction Advisers scheme, which is made up of volunteers who show communities how rubbish can be cut back.

Henry Smith, Leader of West Sussex County Council, said today:
“This exciting new facility reflects the need to gain much more from waste, which should be looked at as a valuable resource.

“By radically reducing the amount of rubbish going to landfill, it will also protect the environment of West Sussex and help the County Council to escape rising costs.

“Approximately 450,000 tonnes of household rubbish was produced in West Sussex last year – and current estimates forecast this could rise to 630,000 tonnes by 2030.

“However, by 2020 the County Council will only be able to landfill 130,000 tonnes of household rubbish a year. If the County Council exceeds this allowance, it could be fined £150 per tonne, in addition to disposal costs – which will put increased pressure on existing services.

“Most importantly, however, we believe in dealing with waste in a way that minimises the negative impact on the environment; that means much less going to landfill and wherever possible waste being used as a positive resource.”

Subject to planning and operating permission, the plant will turn rubbish into a resource, like compost and electricity, by a process of mechanically shredding the waste and separating out those parts that easily rot.

This will be treated by bacteria to produce a fuel gas that can be used for buses or even the lorries taking the waste to the site.

The remaining material is then turned into a fuel that can be used in a variety of processes, such as cement kilns as a substitute for fossil fuel. Both fuels can also be used to produce electricity.

If Biffa is unable to secure long-term sustainable markets for these fuels then the County Council will require Biffa to manage an advanced non-incineration thermal treatment system to produce electricity and heat.

There are some materials though that cannot be treated and would still need to go to landfill. However, the new service will drastically reduce landfill to one-fifth of what it is now.

Phil Russell, Head of Wastes Management, said: “This stage is the result of four years of procurement working with our District and Borough colleagues to develop the solution offered by Biffa, which is considered to meet all our strategic needs and technical requirements.

“The solution will significantly reduce the levels of carbon emissions from the landfill site and be one of our major contributions to the long term fight against global warming.”

Louise Goldsmith, County Council Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said the cost of the contract over 25 years is more than £1 billion in today’s prices.

“We recognise this is a big burden for local taxpayers to bear. Unfortunately, the Government has refused to provide any help in meeting that cost.

“First, it denied West Sussex access to Public Finance Initiative funding. Then it failed to deliver its promise to give back to local authorities landfill tax money, which they could have invested in alternative technologies.”

However, Louise stressed the contract still represented a ‘good deal for taxpayers’.

“This is because over its lifetime the contract will save the County Council more than £300 million when compared with the cost of continuing to send rubbish to landfill,” she said.

Derek Whittington, County Council Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Highways, said: “This has been a long journey for the County Council involving extensive consultation with residents and stakeholders as well as a four year procurement process.

“We firmly believe the end result will be a plant using the very latest technology that will not only be clean and efficient, but will ensure waste is turned into a valuable resource that benefits the whole community.”

Frank Wilkinson, Deputy Cabinet Member, said: “West Sussex has always promised its residents it would be a leader in waste prevention and recycling by turning rubbish into a resource – today’s announcement fulfils that pledge.

“During the contract process, a large number of sites have been mentioned as possible locations for the treatment of waste. We believe that we have not only found the best method of treatment, but the best available site.”

Richard Hammond, Environment Manager, Environment Agency, South Downs Area, said: “This represents an important milestone in waste management for West Sussex. We are pleased to continue working with Biffa as it obtains its planning and operating permits for this proposed new complex.”

Ashley Ralston, a Community Involvement Group Member and Better Tomorrows Director, said: “Today’s announcement will allow West Sussex to move forward with a more sustainable waste management solution, while still remaining focused on waste prevention and recycling.”

More Sussex news here.