Eco-firm lands new fuel deal with a major cement plant
A RECYCLING firm that creates sustainable fuel has landed a contract to supply a huge cement plant near Ashbourne with thousands of tonnes of green energy.
Swadlincote-based Willshee’s Waste and Recycling will send three or four lorries per day, five days per week, to the Lafarge Cement plant in Cauldon, where the fuel will be handled by Lafarge’s waste division, Geocycle.
The Solid Recovered Fuel that arrives at the plant is primarily created from industrial and commercial waste and, once delivered to the Cauldon plant, the cement kiln then recovers the thermal energy from the fuel to power the manufacturing process, whilst recycling any mineral content within the fuel into the final product, through a process called “co-processing”.
The output from the kiln is used in a wide range of building products for the construction sector.
Wilshee’s bosses say the production of Solid Recovered Fuel allows them to follow their policy of zero waste to landfill, and the company is seeing a huge increase in demand for this option within the UK market. Working with local businesses also means shorter journeys which reduce the carbon footprint and bring further environmental benefit, the firm has said.
Commercial manager Simon Lowe said: “Having worked very closely with Geocycle to get this project up and running, and to meet their very high standards of specification, it is exciting to see this contract now live.
“We look forward to developing a long-term relationship with the team at Geocycle, providing them with a consistent product.
“We can now see the real benefits of our investment in the Swadlincote facility. Both in terms of our capacity to deliver a sustainable fuel for a global organisation like Geocycle, as well as in terms of the scope for future expansion.”
Andrew Whyatt, head of Geocycle UK, said: “We are delighted to enter into this multi-year agreement with a rapidly growing and dynamic waste management company in Willshee’s.
“Their proximity to the Cauldon Cement Plant not only reduces the carbon footprint of the fuel that is manufactured at their advanced sorting facility in Swadlincote, but also provides us with excellent levels of service from their dedicated vehicle fleet.
“From the outset we were impressed with the drive, knowledge and flexibility of the team, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership.”