Wincanton has started work on a £5 million Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment facility in Daventry, Northampton, ahead of plans to double its recycling capabilities.
Building of the offices and warehouses is already underway, with construction on the new machine, which has been developed and manufactured by German engineers MeWa, beginning in October.
The machine has been designed to treat up to 100,000 tonnes of WEEE each year, which is the equivalent of more than one million washing machines, 100 million kettles or 715 million mobile phones.
Sortation operations are expected to begin in December and the site’s recycling function should be fully operational in early 2009.
Wincanton opened its first WEEE treatment plant in March 2006 in Billingham, Teeside. The new site has been located to complement this facility as well as the company’s broader reverse logistics offering.
Euan Jackson, the newly appointed managing director for recycling at Wincanton, will focus on developing the company’s recycling business in the UK and expanding it into mainland Europe.
He said: “There is still much work to do before the obligations of the WEEE Directive are fully integrated into every producer’s operations, but this second site will offer an extended service to help those affected by the legislation to manage their environmental responsibilities.”
