A new in-vessel composting facility has been opened in Oxford that that will treat green and food waste collected by local authorities.
Once fully operational, the facility, which is being managed by organic waste expert Agrivert in Ardley, will turn 40,000 tonnes of recyclable waste into 20,000 tonnes of compost with the help of bulk handling machinery such as screw conveyors.
The facility is the first of three that the firm intends to develop in the region, as part of a 15-year deal to boost recycling rates in Oxfordshire.
Letsrecycle.com reports that Agrivert said: "The facility has a positive carbon footprint even after the energy associated with collection and treatment of the waste is taken into account."
Compost produced at the facility will be sold to local farmers in a sustainable way designed to keep the facility’s carbon footprint as low as possible.
Andrew Pau, head of waste management for Oxfordshire county council, told the website that the new plant would help bring the local authority’s forecast recycling rate to more than 50 per cent.
Oxfordshire’s Waste Management Group currently oversees eight recycling centres across the county, as well as its landfill sites.