In line with the agreed requirements of the 25-year waste management contract with Southwark Council, Veolia Environmental Services is proposing to build, operate and maintain a Materials Recovery Facility and a Mechanical Biological Treatment plant at the old gasworks site on the Old Kent Road.

Subject to planning approval, Veolia will commence construction of these facilities in 2009, with completion scheduled for 2011.

Materials Recovery Facility

The Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) will have a capacity of 85,000 tonnes per annum and will be one of the most advanced recycling facilities in Europe. All materials collected for recycling from homes across the borough will be processed at this plant before being sent off to manufacturers to turn the recycled raw materials into new products.

Mechanical Biological Treatment

A Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant processes waste not suitable for recycling. It uses a combination of mechanical and biological processes to sort the waste: the mechanical element comprises an automatic segregation system to separate any recyclable materials from the mixed waste, such as metals or glass. The biological element seeks to remove moisture from the waste before breaking down the organic, biodegradable components by way of either composting or anaerobic digestion to produce soil improver or biogas for fuel.

In Southwark, the proposed MBT facility will be capable of handling up to 87,500 tonnes of waste per annum. The refuse derived fuel from the MBT process will initially be sent to our SELCHP energy recovery facility.

The plant will be completely contained within the building, therefore minimising the impact of noise and odour.

A Community Liaison Group has been set up to give local residents and other interested groups the chance to find out more about our proposals for the site. To see minutes and presentations from previous meetings please click here.

A public exhibition is planned for Friday 15 August and Saturday 16 August 2008.