European waste management company Renewi says it is managing to keep disruption to bin collections to a minimum after a fire last week at its waste transfer station in Barnsley.
The blaze broke out in the early hours of 17 August at the Grange Lane transfer station in Stairfoot, which has since reopened. It is not yet operating at full capacity.
The Grange Lane transfer station pictured in the aftermath of the fire
Renewi says all the waste previously handled by the facility is still being managed within the contract it holds with the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) Waste Partnership. However, Barnsley RCVs are now travelling around 10 miles to a waste treatment facility in Rotherham to unload waste.
A Renewi spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “The transfer station has reopened and is operating on reduced capacity. The repair works may take a number of months, but we aim to have the facility fully back online as soon as possible.”
It is unclear how long disruption to bin collections may last but the decision to deliver waste to Rotherham is under constant review with Barnsley council, Renewi says.
The Grange Lane waste transfer station is owned by the council and operated by Renewi.
Fire
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service say they responded within 15 minutes to an emergency call by the on-site security team at the Grange Lane waste transfer station on 17 August and worked throughout the night and following morning to extinguish the blaze.
An aerial view of the BDR treatment facility in Rotherham where waste from Barnsley is now being delivered
The fire broke out in an area containing approximately 200 tonnes of unsorted household waste, Renewi says. No-one was hurt and damage was limited to infrastructure.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have since confirmed the cause of the fire was not arson but an unknown ignition source within the waste.
BDR contract director Simon Lund said: “We are always aware of the dangers of items such as lithium batteries and disposable BBQs within the waste stream. Our security system worked well, and the fire was detected immediately.
“We are extremely grateful to the fire services for their swift response and for the effective management of the situation.”
Barnsley
A partnership between Renewi (formerly known as Shanks Group) and Scottish and Southern Energy (known as 3SE) signed a 25-year, £750 million PFI contract with the BDR Waste Partnership in April 2012 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The contract began in July 2015 (see letsrecycle.com story). Up to a quarter of a million tonnes of waste is received, sorted and managed annually by BDR and to date 96.5% of waste received has been diverted from landfill, Renewi says.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
