Forth Ports and SITA UK have announced a long-term partnership that will see the creation of a major recycling and resource hub based at the Forth-owned Port of Tilbury on the River Thames.
As part of the partnership, SITA UK has acquired Nordic Recycling from Forth Ports for an undisclosed sum.
SITA UK will also deliver a new alternative fuels waste material processing facility at the Port of Tilbury, which will process both solid recovered fuel and refuse derived fuel.
The facility is part of a multi-million pound investment that will complement the materials recycling (MRF) facility currently operated by Nordic Recycling at its Tilbury base.
Nordic Recycling currently operated the 100,000 tonnes per year capacity MRF and a recycling collection business, and these have become part of SITA UK’s wider operations.
The acquisition and partnership means that SITA UK will be able to transport from the Port of Tilbury and London Container Terminal alternative fuels and secondary raw materials both domestically and internationally by road, rail and sea.
SITA UK chief executive David Palmer-Jones said: “I am very pleased to welcome Nordic Recycling to SITA UK. We look forward to working with our new colleagues to further improve the efficiency of the materials recycling facility and to expand our recycling activities in the south east of England.
“By investing in new processing facilities at the port, we will not only create new jobs, but will also enable the south east to divert a significant amount of its waste material from landfill and put it to good use instead.”
Forth Ports group chief executive Charles Hammond added: “This new long-term partnership is a significant achievement for our business and we are delighted to be working with our multi-national customer SITA UK.
“The sale of Nordic Recycling will allow us to focus on key port activities and SITA UK’s expansion plans at the port play to our key strengths in the handling and distribution of general cargo and containers.
“Through our excellent Portcentric networks and logistics experience, we will play a significant part in the success of this parternship.”
As part of the agreement, the Port of Tilbury has awarded a 10-year contract to Nordic Recycling (subject to regular market-testing) to provide waste management services at the port.
Source: www.rebnews.com