Lancashire County Council has taken a major step towards achieving its EU Landfill Directive targets after signing a £2BN carbon-friendly waste management contract.
Under the 25-year PFI contract, £320 million will be invested in two mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) waste management facilities at Leyland and Thornton to handle some 600,000 tonnes per annum of household waste. The new facilities will slash the amount of refuse going to landfill sites, avoid the need for incineration and increase recycling rates. The MBT process transforms the organic portions of recyclable waste into renewable energy and a high quality compost product.
The contract involves Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council, Global Renewables Ltd and contractor Bovis Lend Lease. County Councillor Tony Martin, cabinet member for sustainable development, said: ‘This is one of the most carbon-friendly solutions currently available to deal with household waste. Our residents have told us that incineration and mass landfilling should no longer be options for Lancashire.’
David Singh, development director at Global Renewables, said the contract would enable more than 300,000 tonnes of resources to be recovered and recycled every year, with diversion from landfill at over 75%. ‘In addition, the project will mitigate over 4M tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, compared to current waste management practices in the county.’ Lancashire is addressing the stringent requirements of the EU Landfill Directive by implementing a recovery-based solution, which is widely seen as a necessity for councils to hit their 2013 targets.
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