Waste management firm Cumbria Waste Group has announced that its £1.25 million materials recovery facility (MRF) in Cumbria is now operational.

The MRF, which is located at Cumbria Waste Group’s Hespin Wood site, near Carlisle, has the capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of waste a year.

Fourteen people are currently employed at the facility, but the company has said that ‘due to the demand for the service’, it is expected that more roles will become available ‘in the coming months’.

The MRF can handle both commercial and household waste. Part of the facility processes co-mingled recyclables collected from household collections (such as cans, plastic, card and bottles), which are sorted into different material streams before being sold on to reprocessors for recycling.

Another section of the MRF accepts commercial, industrial and construction waste, (such as rubble, plasterboard, wood, and dry recyclables) for sorting.

Any material that cannot be recycled will be processed as a Solid Recovered Fuel or Refuse Derived Fuel. It is hoped that this will help the facility divert almost all of its incoming waste streams from landfill.

“A cost-effective solution that has major environmental benefits”

Mike Bareham, Managing Director of Cumbria Waste Group, said: “We are delighted to have the MRF operational and to be achieving very high recycling rates on behalf of our customers.

“This is a significant investment on our part but one which was needed to ensure waste generated in Cumbria is actually processed in the county, rather than having to be sent out of the area, as was the case previously. It provides our current and potential customers with a cost-effective solution that has major environmental benefits.”

He added: “We are even able to offer our customers a rebate, so as well as meeting their environmental responsibilities, they are earning an income from their waste as well.”

Find out more about the Hespin Wood MRF.