Flagship Resource Recovery Facility Opened in Greater Manchester

Simon Brooks, European Investment Bank Vice President for the United Kingdom and Councillor Neil Swannick, Chair of Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority 14 July 2011 The Bredbury Resource Recovery Facility featuring a recycling centre, in-vessel composting and an MBT facility has been officially opened. The was opened by Simon Brooks, European Investment Bank vice president for the UK, and has been developed as part of the 25-year Recycling and Waste Management Contract between the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) and Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Limited (VLGM). The contract was signed in April 2009 and is funded by a number of sources including the European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank is the EU's long-term lending institution and provided £182 million for the project. According to Viridor, the facility will directly contribute to helping the UK meet European requirements for greater recycling and reduced landfill. The facility comprises: The fourth education and visitor centre in Greater Manchester which will offer high quality, fun and interactive visits for school children. It has been built as part of GMWDA's strategy to encourage the 2.3 million people who make up the conurbation, to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste. The education and visitor centre will be open for bookings in January 2012. A redeveloped Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) has been modernised to create a more convenient layout, with better traffic management and separate access for operational vehicles and private cars to increase safety. These improvements have reduced waiting times and provide the opportunity to recycle up to 23 different items. A Mechanical Biological Treatment facility (MBT) with Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is currently at the commissioning stage. The Anaerobic Digestion plant will help Greater Manchester generate green energy and divert more waste away from landfill. An In-Vessel Composting facility (IVC) to process kitchen and garden waste into compost for use in landscaping, farming and horticulture. The IVC is now operational and is capable of treating approximately 50,000 tonnes of kerbside collected kitchen and garden waste (biowaste) a year. A Transfer Loading Station (TLS) which will receive and sort recyclable waste from local collections, ready to be sent on for reprocessing, helping to support Greater Manchester's kerbside recycling scheme. Speaking at the opening, Councillor Neil Swannick, Chair of GMWDA said: "This is one of GMWDA's flagship facilities demonstrating the world-class technology that is treating Greater Manchester's household waste by recycling, composting and generating green energy. I am delighted with what has been achieved so far, and with similar facilities replicated throughout Greater Manchester ensure that we are another step closer towards our aim of zero waste to landfill." Simon Brooks added: "The European Investment Bank is committed to supporting a new generation of improved waste management in the UK. The new facility not only solves environmental challenges in Greater Manchester, but shows cities across Europe how green economic opportunities can be unlocked to promote sustainable development." Sign up for Waste Management World's Free E-Mail Newsletters