Wednesday 22nd September 2010
Powerday unveils plans for modern recovery facility in West Drayton
Powerday has launched its plan to develop a new state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at the former railway sidings known as the Old Coal Depot off Tavistock Road in West Drayton. This facility will handle up to 950,000 tonnes of materials per annum from waste generated in Hillingdon and west London for onward reuse, recycling and manufacturing. The scheme also provides for the possibility of a new Civic Amenity site to be operated on behalf of London Borough of Hillingdon for the benefit of local residents.
The £40 million development will provide up to 130 jobs, skilled and unskilled, for the local workforce, with more created during construction. The facility could, when complete, assist in supporting a range of other local jobs in the locality – particularly plant, machinery, and maintenance sectors. Collectively, this will provide significant support for the local economy.
Powerday, a family owned business, has been operating in the capital since 1977. In recent years, it has invested significantly in its Materials Recovery Facility at Willesden Junction. The proposed MRF at West Drayton will recycle materials such as plastics, glass, cardboard, metals, wood, concrete and aggregate. It is intended that these will be sourced from construction, commercial and municipal waste streams from within the Hillingdon and west London area.
London, like the rest of the country, is facing a pressing waste problem as landfill is becoming increasingly expensive, scarce and unsustainable. The Mayor, Boris Johnson, in his recently published draft waste strategy, would like to see the capital achieving zero waste to landfill by 2025. In addition, the UK needs to meet stringent EU landfill diversion targets over the next decade through recycling and other methods to avoid potentially huge EU fines.
Mark Bensted, Managing Director of Powerday, said “This is an exciting development which provides a real opportunity for Hillingdon to improve its recycling performance and end reliance on out-of-city disposal to landfill.”
“We are keen to listen to views of the local residents about our proposal which is why we are embarking on a public consultation programme” he continued, “It is important that people are aware of the need to change the way in which our waste material is managed and how we might adopt more sustainable practices that protect our environment now and in the future.”
The proposal will be subjected to the normal statutory planning process. As part of its consultation activities, Powerday will be holding a public exhibition at the Yiewsley and West Drayton Community Centre on Thursday 23rd September (2 pm – 7.30pm), Saturday 25th September (10 am – 4 pm), Thursday 7th October (2 pm – 7.30pm) and Saturday 9th October (10 am – 2 pm). The application is likely to be submitted towards the end of 2010. More information is available on the website – www.powerday.co.uk/westdrayton.
