Waste trials begin at London’s new Resource Recovery Facility
Operational testing is underway at north London’s vast new Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) at Edmonton EcoPark, with over 40 borough refuse trucks taking part in waste delivery trials this December.
The trials include the tipping of different types of waste, including food and garden, household, street, bulky, and bio waste.
The RRF’s purpose is to help advance the circular economy with more materials retrieved for recycling. A key part of the nationally significant, North London Heat and Power Project, the facility has 2,235 solar panels on its roof, which will power the nearby off-grid community building.
Tests being conducted include vehicle manoeuvrability, traffic management, Health and Safety procedures, and environmental monitoring. To test the state-of-the-art ventilation and odour suppression system, waste trucks will tip around 150-200 tonnes of green, food and bio waste at the facility, where it will remain for up to four days to ensure odour is contained within the site.
LondonEnergy Ltd, the safety award-winning operating company owned by North London Waste Authority (the public body responsible for delivering the new infrastructure at Edmonton EcoPark) is closely collaborating with construction contractor, Taylor Woodrow, to make a success of the testing. This will pave the way for the facility's handover to LondonEnergy, who will then focus on ramping up operations to full capacity in early 2024.
North London Waste Authority Chair, Cllr Clyde Loakes, welcomed the waste trials as a significant milestone. “The engineering, design and scale of the Resource Recovery Facility is impressive – and the trials will ensure that the facility works as intended by identifying snags and issues before LondonEnergy begins operating next year.”
LondonEnergy Managing Director, Jim Kendall, said: “The trials are an important stage to ensure that the new facility provides us with the optimal environment for crucial work to recycle more materials for onward distribution to manufacturers to use in new products.”
As part of the facility’s overall capacity for managing waste generated in north London, the Resource Recovery Facility will be able to manage around 135,000 tonnes of recyclable materials every year.
-Ends-
