West Sussex County Council says a major upgrade to its Horsham waste site is already helping to boost recycling across the county.
The council expanded the Anaerobic Digestion facilities at the site in April, allowing thousands of tonnes of household food waste to be recycled locally into clean energy and fertiliser each year.
Since the upgrade, 2,670 tonnes of food waste have already been converted into renewable energy. That is roughly the equivalent of around 200 double-decker buses.
The Anaerobic Digestion and Resource Recovery Facility, known as the ADRRF, is run by Biffa as part of the West Sussex Waste Partnership. It uses a process called anaerobic digestion to recycle food waste collected from homes across West Sussex.
The process creates renewable energy to help power the plant, with excess electricity exported to the National Grid. It also produces nutrient-rich fertiliser for use on farmland.
The facility has the capacity to process 35,000 tonnes of food waste expected to be collected from households across the county each year, helping West Sussex meet new national recycling requirements.
Wayne Lewis, Service Director for Environment and Public Protection, said:
“Reducing the amount of waste produced and managed in West Sussex is one of our key priorities, as set out in our Council Plan.
“In the county we already recycle over 100,000 tonnes of material each year and being able to now recycle food waste separately is a great achievement.
“Converting the existing plant has been a huge undertaking and is a great example of the work we do with our partners here in West Sussex, helping us make better use of resources while protecting our environment for the future.”
Keith Sinfield, Managing Director of Biffa Treatment Services, said:
“Biffa is delighted to be working in partnership with West Sussex County Council to deliver a circular solution at the ADRRF facility, transforming household food waste into renewable electricity to power the site and supply the grid for local homes.
“The remaining nutrient-rich material is returned to farmland and for other beneficial uses, supporting future food production. It's a genuinely sustainable outcome for the county.”
Residents can find out more through the https://www.youtube.com/@WSRecycles YouTube channel.
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