A sustainable solution for household waste in Cornwall
We work to reduce waste in the first place and then boost re-use, recycling and composting. The waste that is left over after recycling is converted into energy.
SUEZ operates 13 household waste recycling centres in Cornwall, used by over one million people each year. We invested over £15 million in these centres – redeveloping seven and building five more – to provide modern, accessible facilities equipped to recycle as much residents’ waste as possible.
We operate materials recycling facilities at Pool and Bodmin, where our education centre shows the community at first hand how their waste is recycled and encourages visitors to reduce, reuse and recycle.
We also manage the Cornwall energy recovery centre, which opened in 2017. Situated in St Dennis, the facility handles the residual waste left after recycling. It too has a visitor centre that supports education in waste management and the environment, hosting visits from schools and adult groups.
Before the energy recovery centre was built, Cornwall’s non-recyclable waste was disposed of at the Connon Bridge landfill, near Liskeard.
Recycling rates have increased from around 25% to more than 60%.
The materials recycling facilities at Bodmin and Pool reclaim more than 98% of the dry recyclables brought there.
The Cornwall energy recovery centre handles some 240,000 tonnes of waste per year. It exports over 16 megawatts of electricity – enough to meet the energy requirements of 21,000 households each year.
The ash produced by burning the waste is processed on site and recycled to create a secondary aggregate for use in construction projects. Metals are also extracted from the ash and recycled.
The Cornwall energy recovery centre won the Sustainable Project of the year award at the 2017 Michelmores Property Awards, which celebrate outstanding property and construction projects in the south-west. The citation noted: “This was a complex project to deliver and the end result is very impressive.The judges were also impressed with the visitor centre, and efforts to involve the local community.”