A £12 million redevelopment of a waste facility that will help power a new era of recycling across the Braintree District and Suffolk has been completed.
Biffa’s Masons Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) near Ipswich has been transformed to support the district’s new ‘Simpler Recycling’ kerbside collection system, with homes using a bin for paper and card (red lids), and another (blue lids) for glass, plastics and cans.
The project was funded by a £6m investment from Biffa, £5m from Suffolk County Council and a £1m contribution from Braintree District Council utilising the government’s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme, which sees manufacturers contributing to the cost of disposing of the packaging they make.
The investment means the MRF can now process additional materials such as glass bottles and jars for the first time, helping residents who live in the district to recycle more from their door.
In the Braintree District, it reduces the amount of waste sent to the Energy from Waste Facility, (EfW) which in turn will help cut carbon emissions. Once fully operational, Masons MRF will process around 65,000 tonnes per year but has the capacity to handle more, meaning it can sort Braintree’s and Suffolk’s recycling for years to come.
Steve Cole, Managing Director, Biffa Municipal, said: "As part of new Simpler Recycling rules for England, residents across the Braintree District and Suffolk are being asked to sort their waste differently, and the £12m refurbishment of our Masons MRF will help them do just that.
“The project is among the first significant examples of EPR funding being used to modernise UK recycling infrastructure.
“One of the biggest benefits is that residents can now put glass bottles and jars out for recycling at the kerbside, meaning they no longer need to drive to a bottle bank or a household waste recycling centre.
“The project is a significant investment in the recycling infrastructure and will support the recycling needs for many years to come.”
Councillor Peter Schwier, Cabinet Member for Operations and Pride in Place at Braintree District Council said: "We are proud to be working in partnership with Biffa and Suffolk County Council to invest in the future of recycling by transforming the Masons recycling facility to support our new kerbside recycling collections.
Expanding the range of materials that residents can recycle by using their kerbside collections, brings significant benefits, including reducing the amount of waste in non-recycling bins, protecting valuable resources, increasing the reuse of recycled materials, strengthening the circular economy, and delivering positive outcomes for the environment."
New fire detection and suppression systems have also been installed to help tackle fires caused by incorrectly discarded vapes and batteries being put into recycling.