The largest composting site in the United Kingdom dedicated to horticultural products is now officially open. (Friday 25th February 2005)
The site, in Kirkby, Liverpool has a capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of recycled green and wood based waste per year.
White Moss has set a precedent in the U.K. growing media manufacturing industry by combining substantial peat extraction, composting, and growing media production all on one site. The resulting savings in terms of distribution costs in what has historically been a low cost, high volume market are quite considerable.
The site, the first of its type in the country will help towards achieving the government target of a 90% reduction in the use of peat in horticulture by 2010. It also helps the local authorities and large waste companies achieve the new, stringent European and UK government targets for reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill.
This project received over £500,000 in assistance from the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP), a government funded non-profit making company set up to help reduce the volume of waste that is sent to landfill. Only three schemes, from over forty applicants throughout England and Wales, were successful in achieving funding, the White Moss project being by far the largest.
The regions local authorities and large waste companies will deliver green waste from kerb side collections and civic amenity sites. The waste will be shredded and composted in heaps called windrows. The windrows are turned when temperatures reach between 60 and 70oC. When the process is complete the material, now "Green Compost", is passed through a specially designed screening plant to be graded for use as a peat / soil alternative in growing media products including multi-purpose compost and growing bags.
White Moss believe that this facility offers great potential for the North West region to take a lead in large volume recycling.
For further information, photographs or to arrange a site visit please contact:
Paul Whyatt, Composting Manager
Tel: 0151 547 2979
Fax: 0151 549 1877
