Brikklyn - Dealing with Derry's waste mountain
Have you ever wondered where that paper you threw in the office recycle bin or that bin bag you dumped in your wheelie bin end up?
There is a very good chance it will pass through Brikkiln's new Enviroparc where it will be recycled or be processed and made safe for disposal at landfill sites.
The 'Journal' was given a tour Brikkiln's impressive new facility by strategic director Tony Stuart.
Civil engineering giant Brikkiln specialises in waste management, demolition, plant hire and asbestos disposal at its Heather Road and Creevagh sites in the city.
The company's 32-acre Enviroparc on Maydown's Electra Road, which opened in April 2007, is impressive in its sheer size and scale but what is more impressive is what goes on inside the facility's two 40,000 square feet treatment units.
At present the facility has two large 40,000 square feet warehouse-like structures which deal in the mechanical and chemical separation of waste.
One deals with domestic household waste from Derry City Council and the other manages "dry" recyclable waste.
Future plans for the site include a 100,000 square feet composting and biological treatment facility and an end of life vehicle facility.
The company also has ambitious plans to generate electricity, through RDF technology, from the waste it processes and sell it to the national grid.
Tony explains that the waste management business is evolving fast.
"Waste management has moved into the 21st century, he said.
"It is no longer the rag and bone industry it was.
"There are no units in the north of Ireland as advanced as Brikkiln's Enviroparc. Very few have invested as much as Brickkiln has in new waste management technology.
"The industry is being driven by an EU directive which is aimed at redirecting waste from landfill sites.
"Companies failing to accept these changes face being heavily fined."
But as the strategic director explains, the move away from landfill dumping could prove lucrative for some organisations.
"If waste is valuable and we receive it in an uncontaminated way then we will pay for what we receive.
"Good quality clear plastics, papers and cardboard are all high value waste.
"For this to happen organisations have to invest in segregation. Sadly in some cases the value of some recyclables is not enough to warrant the expense of segregation.
"Our ideal scenario would be to take high value waste off clients' hands for free and pay them for it."
Tony says Brikkiln's enviroparc is in a strong position to take advantage of a market which is on the rise.
"Organisations are realising that they can make money from their waste, he said.
"It is a growing market and over the next two years there will be a demand that will realise the potential of this site.
"We are currently licensed to receive 150,000 tonnes of waste per year. The licence is based on your ability to deal with the waste.
“When building work is complete we are hopeful that we will eventually be managing one million tonnes of waste.”
Once complete, Tony says the park will eventually employ 100 staff.
“Once the site is fully developed it will offer a range of treatments including mechanical separation, biological
separation, composting and the production of fuel.
“The function of Enviroparc will be to eventually have waste from the municipal, public, commercial and private sectors.
“Electricity production through RDF will hopefully be realised within the next 18 months.
Local jobs
“Once the site is fully developed it will employ 70 full-time staff and 30 part-time.
“We are keen to give Derry jobs to Derry people and we believe in bringing in key individuals,” he added.
Log on to www.derryjournal.com to see how your waste is recycled.
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Weather for Derry
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: 5 C to 8 C
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Wind direction: West
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