"The Gillmoss development will be a vital part of the overall solution. We are currently looking at options for other waste disposal facilities elsewhere to complete the jigsaw"
MWDA director Carl Beer
Liverpool, UK: Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) has announced that it is to submit plans for a Recycling Park at Gillmoss, Liverpool. The facility would be part of a £3 billion programme to tackle the region’s household waste.
The circa £20 million development will include an integrated Visitor Centre and a new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). This would enable the sorting of recycling collections into separate glass, cardboard, plastic bottle, cans and paper streams and would handle around 100,000 tonnes of recyclable materials per annum in a sealed building.
MWDA has a similar existing facility currently operating at Bidston on the Wirral.
The authority plans to submit a formal planning application for the Recycling Park to Liverpool City Council later this year, following a period of public consultation including information events and newsletters.
The proposed Recycling Park at Gillmoss, Merseyside
The Recycling Park would be complementary to an existing waste transfer station on a 22-acre site at Stonebridge Lane, Gillmoss which is owned by MWDA.
The authority says that there is a possibility of a future proposal for the site to be developed to allow organic materials such as kitchen waste to be composted via an in-vessel composting system, though this would be subject to a separate planning process at a later date.
The proposed development at Gillmoss is part of the wider strategy for the Merseyside sub-region to meet its waste disposal needs and comply with landfill legislation. The authority says that plans for other waste and recycling facilities will be developed and submitted over the next 18 months.
The Recycling Park would be operational by 2010 if the formal planning submission is approved.
MWDA director Carl Beer said:
“Merseyside homes are producing too much waste and we have got to find new ways of dealing with it.
“Doing nothing is not an option and could ultimately cost the region’s tax payers up to £400 million. The Gillmoss development will be a vital part of the overall solution. We are currently looking at options for other waste disposal facilities elsewhere to complete the jigsaw.”