Horsham treatment plant 'fantastic' in cutting landfill waste
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The mechanical biological treatment plant in Langhurstwood Road is operated by Biffa as part of a long-term contract with West Sussex County Council.
The facility reduces the amount of non-recycled black bag household waste that is sent to landfill and is designed to divert more than 75 per cent of incoming material into a resource.
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Hide AdThe plant has reduced landfill waste from around 30 per cent in 2018/19 to just under nine per cent, according to Horsham District Council as Toni Bradnum, its cabinet member for recycling and waste, visited recently.
![Toni Bradnum at the mechanical biological treatment plant](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmJiYTYwOTg5LTA0NTAtNGQ0ZC1hZDQ2LTdmYjQxNDk0Yjg4OTplNzZkZTk1Yi01NmFmLTQwNGQtOTM1Ni1mOWM4MjcwMGE0NWI=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![Toni Bradnum at the mechanical biological treatment plant](/img/placeholder.png)
This comes as the plant is due to be modified so it can start processing food waste when separate collections are rolled out across West Sussex.
Cllr Bradnum said: “From our perspective here in Horsham, this plant is fantastic and the reduction to landfill waste that has been achieved is an exceptional achievement.
"Full of high-tech equipment separating everything we throw in our household waste bins, from paper bags to food waste and virtually all of life's rubbish. Even street sweepings are re-used.
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Hide Ad“It's a staggering volume they deal with, and the fact that most is now diverted from landfill is very encouraging.”
The facility includes the mechanical recovery of material to produce refuse-derived fuel which is taken to an energy from waste facility. Any biodegradable material treated within the AD plant generates electricity.
Mechanical and biological treatment is not a single technology, but rather a combination of sorting and treatment technologies.