New facility heralds the end of  dustbin waste going to landfill in Devon 

A new waste transfer station at Bynsworthy, Barnstaple will become fully operational on Monday 11 February 2019.

The new  facility will enable Devon County Council to bulk up and transfer non-recyclable ‘wheelie bin/black bag’ waste collected in the North Devon and Torridge areas away from landfill to Energy from Waste facilities where it is converted into electricity.

The new facility marks the end of household ‘black bag’ waste being sent to landfill in the county of Devon. This type of waste elsewhere in Devon is already being sent to either the Exeter Energy Recovery Facility or the Devonport Energy from Waste Combined Heat & Power Facility where it too is used as a fuel to generate energy. 

On Thursday (7 February) Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council’s (DCC) Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Waste, and Councillor Rodney Cann, North Devon Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, previewed the new facility.

The facility was built and will be operated for DCC by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd.

Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council’s (DCC) Cabinet Member with responsibility for Infrastructure and Waste said: “This facility marks an historic milestone, the end to the landfilling of residual household ‘black bag’ waste in the county of Devon.

“Residents in Torridge and North Devon have already been doing a fantastic job separating their waste for recycling and I would urge them to keep recycling as much of their waste as possible, so we can continue to deal with waste in the most environmentally sound way. However, there is some waste that still cannot be recycled, and it is this that will be managed at the new waste transfer station. 

“Reducing, re-using and recycling as much as possible and diverting what remains into energy recovery is better for the environment, and better for council tax payers. I want to thank SUEZ who have built this facility and will be operating it on behalf of the county council.”

James Pike, Regional Director for SUEZ, said: “We are pleased to be building on our long standing partnership with Devon County Council by constructing and operating this vital facility. Moving materials up the waste hierarchy is crucial to meeting our goal of living in a society with no more waste, and we look forward to helping the residents of Devon to divert their residual waste away from landfill.”