Bristol will be among the first cities in the country to achieve one of the most ambitious environmental targets of sending no untreated waste to landfill sites.
From June this year, as part of the new West of England Partnership Phase 2 contract, 53,600 tonnes of Bristol’s (black bag waste along with waste from the other three local partner authorities will be diverted from landfill to the New Earth Solutions new mechanical biological treatment facility.  This is reaching completion in Avonmouth.
Here, further material which can be recycled is recovered, a biomass-rich waste-derived fuel is created for use in renewable energy recovery and a compost product suitable for land remediation is produced.
Bristol City Council has announced it has also awarded a £15million waste disposal contract to SITA UK Ltd, who will build a new materials recovery facility to take the remainder of the residual waste — meaning that within three years no untreated waste will be sent to landfill.
The new five year contract, due to begin in April, will see SITA responsible for the remaining 47,000 tonnes of residual waste. For the first two years, SITA will arrange to landfill the waste.  But by the spring of 2013, a new plant, to be built in Avonmouth, will mean that the waste will be targeted for further recycling and the remaining waste will be used to create a Solid Recovered Fuel, so that nothing will go directly to landfill.
“The waste disposal contract has been designed to be flexible, so that as we develop further kerbside recycling services and our waste reduces, the tonnage going to SITA will also reduce,” cabinet member for waste strategy, Councillor Gary Hopkins, said.
“We have already seen a major reduction in our waste in the last couple of years from 204,000 tonnes in 2003-4 to 176,000 this year, thanks to recycling innovations such as our successful communal bins schemes and extensions to our kerbside recycling services.
“As part of our ambitious waste strategy, we are committed to ending untreated landfill waste disposal and with these two new contracts finalised and ready to go, we are going to be able to meet this goal, helping us to forge ahead with our plans to be one of the cleanest and greenest major cities in the UK.”
A mechanical biological treatment system is a form of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion. MBT plants are designed to process mixed household waste as well as commercial and industrial wastes.
The “mechanical” element of the process removes recyclable elements such as metals, plastics, glass and paper, while the remainder has biodegradable elements broken down to make biogas or compost.
The contract has been let for a five year period initially but can be extended after that by an additional four years if SITA UK and Bristol City Council agree this.