Biffa Waste Services has just signed a 25-year contract with West Sussex County Council, marking the authorities greenest deal ever.
The contract, which will see Biffa provide for the management of non-recyclable household waste over a long-term time period, will include the construction of a Mechanical Biological Treatment facility near an existing landfill site in Warnham. The state-of-the-art plant will take non-recyclable rubbish and turn it into reusable items such as electricity and compost. Operations are expected to begin by 2013.
With the addition of the plant, just north of Horsham, the council will fulfill a promise made to West Sussex residents to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. Using recycling and waste prevention, the council will help divert all waste produced in the area from landfill sites.
The plant will be joined by other flagship facilities around the area, which combined will create a total overhaul of the council’s waste collections system. Already, the introduction of new programmes has seen household waste recycling levels reach 42 per cent in 2009-2010.
Additionally, the new facilities helped ongoing waste reductions to reach 33,000 tonnes through composting and a ‘real nappies’ campaign throughout last year. Deborah Urquhart, County Council Cabinet Member for the environment and economy said that reaching the milestones that the council has achieved is the result of several years of consulting with stakeholders and residents.
She added that the council would continue to work with Biffa and the community to ensure the highest amount of non-recyclable waste was turned into valuable resources and utilised in a way that was both financially and environmentally efficient.
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