Waterbeach MBT plant helps save £3 million on landfill costs

Waterbeach Waste Site – Tony Orgee (centre) with a member of Chinese delegation


And there's an open day on Saturday, 22 September

The Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant in Waterbeach has helped to save £3 million on landfilling costs by reducing the waste going to landfill since it opened in November 2009.

Once the waste enters the plant, material is recovered for recycling and other uses before the remainder is composted. This significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to sending the waste straight to landfill, and saves money as landfill is subject to an ever increasing landfill tax.

The MBT plant is a key part of Cambridgeshire County Council's PFI contract with AmeyCespa to help manage the waste produced in the county.

See for yourself on 22 September

Cambridgeshire residents are invited to find out more about re-use and recycling at the site's annual Recycling Open Day on Saturday, 22 September.

A range of activities for the entire family will be on offer, including the chance to take a tour of the site and visit the MTB plant and materials recycling facility.

The tour will also provide an opportunity to understand the composting process and see the scale of the waste challenge at the landfill site.

Model making activities using recycled materials and taking a ride in some of AmeyCespa’s vehicles are always popular attractions with children and adults alike.

Minimising waste

The facility is required to process around 200,000 tonnes of waste per year and so far a quarter of a million tonnes of Cambridgeshire's rubbish entered through the reception hall.

The plant's purpose is to minimise the amount of waste sent to landfill and ease our impact on the environment. The technology used separates recyclable materials from black bag waste, to help recover some of the metals and plastics residents did not separate at home for recycling

As the non-recyclable waste travels through the composting hall for the next seven weeks it is reduced by up to 50 per cent thanks to degradation and moisture loss.

The major advantage of the MBT composting hall is its ability to reduce the biodegradability of black bag rubbish, without producing methane in the landfill, a greenhouse gas over twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Better than expected

The plant's biodegradability performance has been closely scrutinised over recent months, adhering to international quality management procedures, and has proven that it can exceed the expectations set out in the contract. This provided the last key reassurance for the County Council to sign off the full acceptance of the facility this month.

Councillor Mathew Shuter, Cabinet Member for Enterprise and Waste at Cambridgeshire County Council, said:  "It is incredible how much waste is being produced in the county and I'm glad to be able to accept the excellent service provided by AmeyCespa in tackling this.

"In partnership we take advantage of cutting edge technology to minimise the amount of waste we send to landfill. This benefits the environment in the long run, but immediately it helps us cut the amount of taxpayers'money we need to spend on the disposal of our waste.

"I would like to highlight that the MBT is not a replacement for recycling and we will achieve the best outcomes only by making good use of recycling services provided, at doorstep and in the local recycling centres."

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