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Swindon to turn its black bag waste into fuel source within a year
Britain is running out of space to dump its waste in the ground and is heading for a major crisis in its energy generating capacity. But a £6 million
investment by Swindon Council aims to demonstrate that what we throw away can be converted into energy and reduce landfill by forty per cent.
Fifty per cent of household waste very large plant and major investment;
is now collected for recycling because we chose the Machinex solution
residents separate glass, paper and because of its flexibility.
plastic, and people take bulky items “The pattern of energy generation
to the recycling centre at Waterside in Britain is changing with decen-
Park. But the other half still goes tralised heat and power stations in
into landfill, costing the council prospect. We believe this method of
taxpayer nearly £3 million in landfill turning waste into energy products
tax each year. gives us the ability to respond to
James Owen, SCS Divisional Head future markets.
of Energy and Sustainability, who is “It will have the capacity to process
responsible for a new initiative to 50,000 tonnes of waste a year which,
deal with the problem, said: “There after solid recyclables and moisture
is no future in landfill, the cost of have been extracted, will produce
dumping waste in the ground falls 25,000 tonnes of SRF. We are cur-
upon the council taxpayer, and it’s James Owen with site manager Sean Magee, head of waste solutions, at the rently negotiating contracts with
getting higher every year; the town Waterside Park recycling centre and the waste processing centre on the right power stations elsewhere to buy the
still sends 48,000 tons of waste to “The vehicles which collect black air treated to remove contaminants. material produced at Waterside Park
landfill. Unfortunately there is still bag waste will empty their load at one James emphasises that Swindon is and repay the loan and return financial
a lot of recyclable material being end of the building and fuel products not creating a power station. “After a benefit to the council.”
dumped in the bin, but we’ve come will come out of the other.” rigorous procurement process SCS The Machinex plant should start
up with a viable alternative. Canadian firm Machinex will be selected Machinex because it has the operations in November and will
“The council has loaned the £6 mil- installing the equipment to separate technical ability to deliver the kind take about six months to reach full
lion at commercial rates to Swindon cans and glass and shred the waste, of system we require and recognises efficiency when all black bag waste
Commercial Services to build a new breaking it down to smaller particles the limitations of the building and will be processed. However James
processing plant at Waterside Park to and segregating everything of recy- our budget. wants residents to continue separating
treat residual municipal solid waste clable value using different kinds of “These systems are widespread in recyclables, even after the SRF plant
and commercial and industrial waste magnets and high-tech sieves. Solid Europe and America but the Swindon is in operation, because of the lower
to produce refuse derived fuel (RDF) recovered fuel has to be dried to a system is the first in Britain. Processes cost of collecting and processing the
and solid recovered fuel (SRF). specific standard with the exhaust like incineration or pyrolosis require material for resale.

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swindonlink.com • June 2013 9

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