WRAP launches two new funding sources for waste and recycling sector

Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF) Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Demonstration Programme – this £10 million fund is the first of its kind in England and is being delivered by WRAP for Defra, with support from the Carbon Trust. It aims to develop cutting edge anaerobic digestion technology on a commercial scale by investing in infrastructure and treatment capacity. The fund will support between three to six projects in England which, between them, will meet the programme’s objectives: maximising the environmental benefits from anaerobic digestion and its products; reducing the carbon footprint of the food supply chain and of water treatment infrastructure; maximising the cost-effective production of biogas; and, maximising the opportunity for the injection of biomethane into the gas grid. Each project must be able to demonstrate innovation, either in technology or through the operational processes.

Organics Capital Grant Programme – this £16 million capital grant scheme offers funding towards the development of food waste recycling infrastructure, such as in-vessel composting, anaerobic digestion or other proven technologies. The programme is open to projects located in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and aims to reduce the amount of food waste entering landfill by increasing the UK’s capacity to recycle these materials into quality products. The target is to fund 400,000 tonnes of new capacity by March 2011.

Steve Creed, Director of Business Growth at WRAP, said: “The launch of these two programmes is further evidence of WRAP’s commitment to working with businesses to reduce waste and encourage recycling. We have made great strides over recent years, but it is only through continued investment in technology and infrastructure that we will meet our challenging target. Through WRAP, the UK Governments are investing nearly £40 million in the AD and food processing sector over the next three years.”

Editor’s notes:

WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.

Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by government funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Working in seven key areas (Construction, Retail, Manufacturing, Organics, Business Growth, Behavioural Change, and Local Authority Support), WRAP’s work focuses on market development and support to drive forward recycling and materials resource efficiency within these sectors, as well as wider communications and awareness activities including the multi-media national Recycle Now campaign for England.

More information on all of WRAP’s programmes can be found on http://www.wrap.org.uk/

The Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF) is a new initiative to bring forward the development of new low carbon energy and efficiency technologies in the United Kingdom. The fund formally began operation in April 2008, and is jointly administered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).

Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which micro-organisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. It is already widely used to treat wastewater sewage in the UK and can also be used to treat other organic wastes, including domestic and commercial food waste, manures and biofuel crops. As part of an integrated waste management system, anaerobic digestion reduces the emission of landfill gas into the atmosphere. The process also provides a source of renewable energy as it produces biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide) which is suitable for energy production and can help replace fossil fuels. The biogas can be used to generate electricity and heat to power on-site equipment and, if there is sufficient excess, can be exported to the National Grid. There are also other potential uses being explored such as using biogas as a vehicle fuel. In addition, the nutrient-rich solids left after digestion can be used as fertiliser.

Case studies: (further details and supporting quotes supplied on request)

Cumberlow Compost Services – WRAP funding is helping to provide a new drive-through in-vessel facility at Cumberlow Compost Services for the processing of co-mingled kerbside collected material. The system, which is fully ABPR compliant, is provided by The Composting Company Ltd and is an addition to the current garden waste processing plant at Cumberlow, where they have been processing around 25,000 tonnes per annum. The new facility will process up to 12,000 tonnes per annum and will cost £900,000. WRAP has provided £126,000 of essential financial support to the project.

Countrystyle Composting – WRAP funding will support the creation of a new in-vessel facility at Countrystyle Composting based at Rydham, Sittingbourne in Kent. The system being installed is Covered System’s tunnel technology, which will allow the company to process materials in line with EU ABPR. The new facility will be capable of processing up to 35,000 tonnes of kitchen and garden waste materials. WRAP’s financial support is £790,500 from a total project cost of £2.7M.

MF & AL Bennion – WRAP is investing £350,000 of a total £1.7M in this Gloucestershire based production site adding an in-vessel operation to this windrow facility. The site will be able to process an additional 15,000 tonnes of garden and kitchen waste per annum. In addition to selling BSI PAS100 compost to other farmers and landscapers, the compost they produce will be used back on their farm.

Keenan Recycling Limited – This family run composting business located at New Deer, Aberdeenshire, has been composting garden and wood waste for local authorities for the past three years. WRAP funding will support the expansion of their current operation to incorporate an in-vessel system that will allow them to process co-mingled kitchen and garden waste, primarily from Aberdeen City. The company is investing approximately £3.2 million on the expansion. WRAP is supporting with funding of just under £432,000. The expansion will increase their processing capacity by almost 50 per cent.

Gray Composting Services Limited – WRAP funding will support the expansion of a small in-vessel composting operation in Fordyce, Aberdeenshire. Through the addition of two further chambers the site will double its compost production capacity by 2,300 tonnes per annum. The site will primarily process organic waste from the sea fish industry as well as some municipal garden and kitchen waste. WRAP’s financial support is £80,000 from total project cost of £320,500.

Levenseat Organics Limited – Levenseat are expanding their existing site in Forth, Lanarkshire to incorporate an in-vessel composting system for commercial and municipal garden waste. Levenseat will be installing a rotating drum technology manufactured by ICC, followed by static aerated bays and a maturation stage. The drum technology, whilst proven in Canada, is the first of its kind in the UK, and will manufacture a quality compost to BSI PAS100 standard. The system will have the capacity to compost an additional 18,000 tonnes of material per year. WRAP support is £395,000 from a total project cost of £1.4M