An £8m revamp of a Norfolk waste plant hopes to kick start a recycling revolution across parts of the county.
Norse Commercial Services has put the finishing touches to a major redevelopment of its site near Norwich, which aims to save council's money by diverting more waste away from landfill sites.
The extension to the Costessey plant will mean householders can recycle glass and other types of plastic such as pots, trays, tubs and cartons using the waste bins at their homes.
It comes after seven district, borough and city councils in Norfolk formed a Joint Venture Company (JVC) with Norse Commercial Services to manage dry materials recycling.
The new facility is expected to process an additional 25pc of material on top of the 60,000 tonnes it deals with each year.
Dave Newell, Norse operations director, said: 'The expansion will save Norfolk's councils considerable amounts of revenue as we are able to handle much more waste and avoid unnecessary landfill.
'In addition there will be significant environmental benefits in that we can process waste quicker, and we can now handle the new waste streams.'
The seven councils making up the Norfolk Waste Partnership include Broadland, Breckland, North Norfolk, Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, and South Norfolk District councils, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norwich City Council, together with Norfolk County Council. They will all have board-level representation in the new JVC: Norse Environmental Waste Services (NEWS).
Ruth Metcalf, Norse commercial director, said: 'This is a fine example of a joined-up approach to waste management and recycling by local authorities, and cost-effective service delivery to tax payers.
'With pressure on local authorities to increase the amount of waste recycled, this commitment to providing a state-of-the-art facility within the county will mean that Norfolk is at the forefront of addressing environmental concern over sustainable waste management.'
John Fisher, chairman of the Norfolk Waste Partnership Board, said: 'All the districts, along with Norfolk County Council, have worked together to negotiate a new contract which means that materials that people have wanted to be able to recycle for some time, can now be recycled using the kerbside collection service.
'With the new contract in place, investment has been made in the processing facility and the new technology used means that many more items can now be processed for recycling.'
• Do you have a business story? Contact business editor Ben Woods on 01603 772426 or email ben.woods@archant.co.uk
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