Edmonton EcoPark celebrates three-year construction anniversary

Three years ago, on 22 January 2019, works to transform Edmonton EcoPark into a new sustainable waste hub commenced. Since then, the project has gone from strength to strength and the site is unrecognisable from when construction first began.

North London Waste Authority (NLWA) is responsible for managing the rubbish produced by over two million residents in north London. In order to safeguard waste disposal for future generations, NWLA is upgrading Edmonton EcoPark to provide flagship recycling and waste management facilities.

Following a programme of enabling works to prepare the site, Taylor Woodrow began construction of new flagship recycling facilities in early 2021.Works are underway to build the new Resource Recovery Facility, which will be one of the largest publicly owned facilities of its kind in London with capacity to manage up to 135,000 tonnes of material every year. Also underway is a public Reuse and Recycling Centre which will enable residents to bring their recycling direct to the EcoPark for the first time ever. It is part of NLWA’s plan to help reach 50% household recycling rates in north London. A new visitor and education centre known as EcoPark House is also being built which will provide a space for the community to learn more about waste management and recycling. The steelworks for these facilities are complete and the mechanical and electrical fit out is underway.

NLWA is committed to minimising its environmental impact during construction and are proud to have delivered pioneering construction solutions to achieve this including:

• Being the first site in the UK to have poured ultra-low carbon concrete, reducing the carbon impact of the works by 70%.
• During piling works, an innovative technique was used which reduced embodied carbon by between 10-16%.
• As part of the enabling works package to divert two Thames Water sewers, a pioneering technique was used to bore two new tunnels, cutting the amount of water required to complete the task by 65%.
• NLWA diverted 99.9% of non-hazardous construction, demolition and excavation waste from landfill through reuse, recycling and recovery.

As well as providing new flagship recycling facilities, the project is replacing the existing Energy from Waste facility with a world-class Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) to divert north London’s unrecyclable rubbish from damaging landfill sites and reduce the carbon impact of resident’s waste. The EcoPark is currently being prepared for construction to commence on the new ERF. NLWA is building the UK’s greenest ERF which will be built to the highest specifications using the most advanced cleaning technology to reduce emissions and contribute to tackling the climate emergency, as well as cleaning up local air quality. It will also unlock one of the UK’s largest district heat networks to generate heating and hot water for up to 50,000 local homes. The new facility is a major part in NLWA’s plan to help north London reach Net Zero.

The project to transform Edmonton EcoPark is also providing hundreds of green jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities for local residents at a time when they are most urgently needed. At least 100 apprenticeships are being delivered to help local residents kick-start careers in civil and ground engineering, quantity survey and business administration. Last year, one of the project’s apprentices Cameron Flanagan, won New Civil Engineer’s Apprentice of the Year. The project is also creating at least 225 on-site training placements helping residents to learn essential skills required for a career in construction and work towards obtaining a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card.

To view the progress made in the last three years, watch our library of construction update videos.

Left: EcoPark House site in March 2021
Right: EcoPark House construction in January 2022

Left: Resource Recovery Facility and public Reuse and Recycling centre site in January 2021
Right: Resource Recovery Facility and public Reuse and Recycling centre site in January 2022