POOLE is set to become a national leader in waste handling under plans to build a new £10million recycling centre on one of the town’s industrial estates.

The privately funded materials recycling facility (MRF) is set to go on part of the former BK Bluebird site in Ling Road, Mannings Heath, creating around 50 permanent new jobs and providing a boost to the local economy.

Members of the public will have a chance to find out more about the scheme at an exhibition in Tesco’s Tower Park store between 10am and 4pm this Saturday and next Monday.

 

Representatives of W&S Recycling and planning advisors Terence O’Rourke will be on hand to answer questions and are seeking feedback via email or on forms available at the exhibition.

W&S – originally Weymouth and Sherborne Recycling – aims to apply to the Borough of Poole for planning permission at the beginning of November, after which there will be a 13-week consultation.

If the plans are approved, work could start in spring and the new plant could be up and running next August. The company will also be moving its headquarters from the Nuffield Estate and its cardboard recycling from Willis Way, with 36 staff relocating.

The 12.3-acre site is on both sides of Ling Road and has been used for fly-tipping.

The southern section is due to house the MRF, two weighbridges and cardboard recycling. The northern part of the site will accommodate offices, stores, workshops and parking for up to 160 lorries and staff vehicles.

W & S owner Geoff Thompson said: “The proposed materials recycling facility, which will be one of the most advanced in the UK, will put Dorset at the forefront of recycling and will regenerate this derelict land with modern buildings and attractive landscaping.”

Suzanne Bangert, associate director of Terence O’Rourke, said: “This is an exciting development for Poole which will support the growth of an important locally based business.”

MRF: the facts

There are currently 70 MRFs around the country. The Poole one will sort mixed materials that are recycled in Dorset with the aim of reclaiming 90 per cent.

It will handle clean waste that has been separated from general household or commercial solid waste, including paper, cardboard, plastics, steel and aluminium food and drink cans, glass and plastic film. No food  will be involved.

The MRF will initially handle 25,000 tonnes, increasing to 50,000 after six months, and will eventually be able to process up to 100,000 tonnes a year.

 

W&S provides waste management services to Dorset, Oxfordshire and Bournemouth councils. It has processing facilities and transport hubs across the country and operates from 31 sites, mainly household waste recycling centres within Dorset. It also manages waste transfer stations for Dorset and two scrapyards in Poole and Dorchester. 

Lorries will access the site via Dorset Way, making 22 deliveries and removing seven articulated truckloads of recycled materials a day, increasing to 42 deliveries and seven removals.

 

The plan is for the site to operate six days a week, 50 weeks of the year, initially from 7am to 4pm, and from 6am to 10pm when throughput increases.