In the UK, South West-based J Witt Waste Recycling Ltd (JWitt) has announced that it will use on-site biotechnology to convert more than 3 600 tonnes of unrecyclable waste into Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) each year, in a move that will benefit the circular economy by reducing and reusing waste that cannot be recycled.
According to a statement, JWitt plans to use Advetec’s largest aerobic biodigester machine – the XO22 – at full capacity, which means it will process up to 10 tonnes of unrecyclable waste on-site per day.
The eight-year contract with biotechnology business Advetec is the latest in a “long line of waste innovation activities” from JWitt – which was the first waste handler to establish a dedicated food waste collection service in Bath.
Mass and volume reduction
According to Advetec, its aerobic digestion technology reduces the mass and volume of typical non-recyclable waste streams such as organic fines, municipal sold waste (MSW), or mixed residual waste (MRW) by 50 percent and 70 percent respectively, and offers a sustainable and highly cost-effective alternative to landfill and Energy from Waste (EfW).
The process digests the organic fraction of the incoming and shredded waste stream using unique blends of bacteria.
The residual floc is then used as a coal replacement product – each tonne of floc used as SRF will replace 0.5 tonnes of coal.
Game-changer for JWitt
This technology will help JWitt to offer greater environmental gains to its 1 000 customers in Bath, Bristol, Somerset, and Mendip, which include retailers, restaurants, industrial estates, veterinary practices, holiday lets, and offices.
This technology is a game-changer for us operationally and environmentally, and for our customers too. We’ve invested in Advetec to reduce and stabilize our costs and future-proof the business, as well as to give customers a more carbon and cost-friendly alternative to landfill and EfW for their unrecyclable waste, said Jamie Witt, Director at J Witt Waste Recycling.
In particular, processing unrecyclable residual waste on-site will save almost 500 road miles each week – as this waste will no longer need to be sent to the Energy from Waste facility in Avonmouth.
At the moment, we have to transport this waste across the region which is costly and time intensive. An on-site solution will dramatically reduce our lorry journeys, which means less cost as well as significantly reduced road-related carbon and congestion. We’ve always been committed to actively reducing waste but now we’ll have the technology to amplify our efforts. Crucially, we’ll be turning local waste into a commodity that benefits the circular economy and helps our customers accelerate their journey to Net Zero, Jamie Witt said.
Earlier this year, Max Recycle in Houghton-Le-Spring, a brand of the waste management firm The Durham Company Ltd, became the first waste handler in the UK to create SRF on-site with Advetec.
Jamie and his team are what we call waste innovators and for the businesses they serve, they’re waste heroes too. Their decision to invest in our technology reflects the increasing commercial and political impetus for change and shows their appetite to embrace more environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods, said Lee Knott, Chief Commercial Officer for Advetec.
Several of Advetec’s smaller aerobic digester machines – the X06 and X03 – are also in operation across the UK.
The Advetec XO22 will give JWitt greater control over cost and carbon and build greater waste handling capacity into their own operations – all of which will benefit their customers greatly. We’re delighted to count them among our clients, ended Lee Knott.
