Waste management firm Viridor has been awarded a 10-year contract by Plymouth City Council to upgrade and operate a material recovery facility (MRF) at Chelson Meadow.
Expected to come online in April 2015, the £6-million facility will annually sort up to 40,000 tonnes of co-mingled recyclate collected from the kerbside into different material streams for recycling. The streams will include: cartons; aluminium cans; steel cans; mixed paper; cardboard; different types of plastic (segregated by infrared optical sorters); and glass.
In anticipation of the new MRF, Plymouth City Council began collecting glass from the kerbside last week (1 May). However, until the refurbished facility opens, recyclate collected from residents will be sent to Viridor’s MRF in Kent.
Speaking of the new contract, Chris Jonas, Head of Strategic Development at Viridor, said: “Viridor is delighted to deliver projects such as this and invest in state-of-the-art sortation equipment on behalf of our local authority clients.
“This facility reflects Viridor’s focus on delivering quality recyclate and meeting the requirements of our material reprocessers. This MRF site will be supported by the other specialist glass, paper and plastics recycling plants that we operate and are developing.”
Plymouth Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for the Environment, added: “This is a significant landmark for us. We have wanted glass recycling right on people’s doorsteps for some time, but needed to replace the material recycling facility we had as it was not up to the job.
“This partnership with Viridor will not only help the council keep waste out of landfill and council tax down but will make recycling easier for residents.”
Read more about recycling in Plymouth.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.