New Earth Solutions

Blaise Farm, Kent

• 50,000 tonnes per year capacity
• Processing green garden waste and household kitchen waste
• Serving the residents of South West Kent as part of a 15 year contract
• £5m investment
• Operational September 2008
• Planning Permission granted June 2006

Kent county council has signed a contract with resource recovery specialists New Earth Solutions to process up to 50,000 tonnes annually of organic household waste.

The company, which specialises in active enclosed composting facilities, has been scouting around North West Kent to secure a new site for the contract. New Earth has a research and development site in Poole, Dorset, which is currently being expanded to a 50,000 tonne annual capacity.

Kent county council currently collects about 7,000 tonnes of green waste each year, but is planning to boost its collections of garden waste and take in food waste from the end of 2006.
Under the contract with New Earth, the material will go through an enclosed forced aerated windrow system, which sees material processed 24 hours a day thanks to an advanced computer controlled management system. The system is expected to produce a high quality material which will be utilised by local agriculture used for regeneration activities within the Thames Gateway in London.

The contract will be managed by Commercial Director Peter Mills.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Mr Mills said: “I had been observing New Earth Solutions for a few years and we seemed to have the same ideas and ambitions. The company wants to build a number of innovative merchant facilities around the UK. “We are also tendering for a number of other contracts throughout the UK” he added.

Residuals

The company is also interested in taking food waste from businesses, as well as residual bin waste. Mr Mills said: “We are open to trying different materials at the Poole site and are currently doing some tests for the Environment Agency on the stability of residual waste going through the system.”

He said the European Union’s decision to scrap a ban on former foodstuffs going to landfill will not dent New Earth’s ambitions. “We are of the view that within the next few years retailers will want to put more material through composting facilities anyway, because of the Landfill Tax.”