RECYCLING chief, Cllr Sir Peter Brown, has been on a fact-finding tour of the region s most state-of-the-art waste recycling facilities at Donarbon in Waterbeach. Drivers on the A10 may have noticed the shell of the new mechanical and biological treatment

RECYCLING chief, Cllr Sir Peter Brown, has been on a fact-finding tour of the region's most state-of-the-art waste recycling facilities at Donarbon in Waterbeach.

Drivers on the A10 may have noticed the shell of the new mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) facility emerging from the surrounding landscape, at the waste management park just north of Cambridge over recent weeks.

Although Cambridgeshire is one of the leading authorities in the country for recycling - having recycled and composted more than 50 per cent last year the new MBT plant will help achieve even greater figures.

The plant will deal with the rubbish currently not recycled by residents - traditionally known as black bag waste, and is the centre-piece of the county councils waste management contract with Donarbon Ltd.

The MBT process, which has been used in Europe for several years, mechanically sorts the waste to remove materials like metals, glass and plastics for recycling and re-use, and composts the remainder which could have a range of uses, including the restoration of old quarries and the cultivation of turf and bio crops.

Friends of the Earth suggest this is the best environmental route for waste and they believe MBT plants should play an increasingly important role in the management of rubbish.

Around 80 per cent of every tonne of rubbish delivered to the plant will be turned into material that can be recycled or re-used. Around half of what is recycled will be turned into a compost-like material using a biological treatment that can be used to grow bio crops for green energy.

Sir Peter Brown, lead member for Economy, Environment and Climate Change at Cambridgeshire County Council, visited the construction site of the new facility to see first hand how the building is progressing.

He said: "This plant is an essential part of our ongoing work to significantly reduce the amount of waste which goes to landfill. But MBT plants are not an alternative to recycling. They are a sustainable way of managing the waste that is left-over after residents do their bit by recycling on their doorsteps and through their local recycling centres."

The facility at Waterbeach is due to be fully operational by 2010 as part of a multi million pound scheme to reduce the county's dependency on landfill. When the facility opens, it will also have a visitor and education centre where people can learn about recycling and the environmentally friendly methods used to treat waste.

Pic cap: Cllr Sir Peter Brown at Donarbon in Waterbeach.

Photo: SUPPLIED.