Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) has appointed three companies in an Interim Waste Management (IWM) procurement exercise to obtain treatment capacity to divert waste from landfill. The companies will manage the waste until the MRWA’s Resource Recovery Contract comes into effect.
FCC Waste Services (UK) Ltd (FCC Environment), Knowsley Energy Recovery Ltd (Energos) and Orchid Fairport Consortium are the three companies that are part of the framework agreement. They have been chosen to collectively treat up to 200,000 tonnes of waste per year for up to four years.
The IWM agreement will mean that short-term capacity will be obtained to redirect residual waste (that cannot otherwise be reused, recycled or composted) away from landfill in a way that is ‘economic and sustainable’. The material is expected to be treated ‘further up the waste hierarchy’ where economically viable, in order to meet the aims of Merseyside’s Joint Recycling and Waste Management Strategy.
FCC Waste Services will treat the first 40,000 tonnes of waste for a period of one year. Its contract could then be lengthened by up to six months by agreement.
According to the MRWA – which handles waste disposal for local authorities across Merseyside, including Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and the Wirral – the framework could save the authority over £200,000 in landfill costs in the first 12 months of the contract.
Carl Beer, Chief Executive of MRWA, welcomed the move, saying: “The development of an Interim Waste Management Framework provides the authority with an important opportunity to divert more waste that currently cannot be recycled, away from landfill ahead of the completion of the large Resource and Recovery Contract which will provide a longer term solution for resource management in Merseyside.”
Councillor Joe DeAsher, the Chairperson of MRWA, added: “The authority is looking forward to improving recycling rates across Merseyside and convert the waste we throw away into a resource. We hope that residents across Merseyside will be part of this and will continue to improve their recycling habits.”
MRWA is at the moment considering bids from Sita and Covanta for the Resource and Recovery Contract. It is expected that the preferred bidder will be announced in early 2013. Both companies propose using energy-from-waste facilities; Sita’s would be at Teeside and Covanta plans to situate theirs in Cheshire.
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