Revolutionary Recyclling Plant

A MULTI-MILLION pound flagship project being built for West Sussex County Council at Ford Airfield is on time to revolutionise recycling throughout the county by early 2009.

Called a Material Recycling Facility (MRF), the plant, which will be operated by Viridor Waste Management, is the first of its type in the county and one of the most advanced in the UK.

Members of the Ford MRF Liaison Group, which is made up oADVERTISEMENTf local parish councillors and residents and has been continually consulted about the project, visited the site to see how the construction is developing.

Phil Russell, the County Council's Head of Waste Management, told them the plant will sort all recycling material ? about 85,000 tonnes a year ? collected from West Sussex household kerbside recycling bins.

"It will use the latest recycling technology to sort different types of materials quickly, efficiently and to high quality standards.

"Recyclable materials will travel along conveyor belts with fast scanning sensors analysing and identifying the type of material as well as the shape, texture and colour.

"Metals used in domestic and food packaging will be sorted using magnetic separation techniques and a screened rotating cylinder will separate different sizes of paper and card.

"The sorted materials will then be baled and transported from Ford to different pre-processors that will use the materials to manufacture new products," he said.

Construction of the plant, he added, is well underway. Its steel frame and roof are in place and engineers will begin installing the sophisticated sorting equipment once this external work is completed.

Derek Whittington, County Council Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: "The Ford MRF forms a major part in a development programme to build new and improved recycling facilities for West Sussex."

This artical was found on West Sussex County Times Website.