Northacre Resource Recovery Centre
Site address
Stephenson Road,
Westbury,
Wiltshire,
BA13 4WD
Head Office Opening Hours: 08:30 - 17:00 Monday to Friday
Site Opening Hours
Monday – Friday:
07.00 – 16.30
Saturday:
Closed
Sunday:
Closed
About this site
Northacre at Westbury is the home of our innovative mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) facility, operating under a 25-year contract with Wiltshire Council.
What is MBT?
MBT uses natural microorganisms to accelerate the decomposition of waste. Inside a sealed building configured to restrict the release of odours, the microbes get to work for up to 14 days. As the waste begins to dry, it loses between 20 – 30% of its original weight. After which it’s further processed to recover any metals which can then be recycled and reused. We have capacity to handle 90,000 tonnes of waste per year at Northacre, with Wiltshire’s household waste services contributing two-thirds of the volume.
What happens to the dried waste?
We turn the material that remains after drying into a solid recovered fuel (SRF). The SRF is no longer waste but a dry, sanitised product that can be handled safely. The amount of material that can’t be used as SRF is disposed of through our landfill site, but this significantly less than the volume that would otherwise have been landfilled. At present, the SRF is shipped to Europe for use in renewable energy plants. But we have exciting plans to use it right here in Wiltshire.
Our plans for Northacre
At Hills Waste Solutions, we’re committed to using state-of-the-art technology to improve the sustainability of our waste. As such, Northacre Renewable Energy Limited (NREL), a special purpose joint venture, has been established to deliver the Northacre energy from waste facility in Westbury, alongside the Northacre Resource Recovery Centre. NREL is jointly owned by Bioenergy Infrastructure Group, a UK independent power producer specialising in energy-from-waste and biomass facilities, and The Hills Group. The two sites working together will mean Wiltshire’s waste can be used to generate low-carbon energy in one integrated location – reducing landfill and cutting our region’s carbon footprint. By turning your household and commercial waste into electricity, we can help power local businesses and boost the electricity supply network.
