New waste treatment facility for Milton Keynes is '˜five months behind schedule'

The delay is owing to the unexpected insolvency of a major contractor.

This ‘flagship’ facility will save many millions of pounds over its lifetime, and was almost ready to be officially opened when a contractor went into administration.

This eleventh hour delay means the multi-million pound dividends of this new facility will not benefit the Council as soon as was hoped.

The Council had forecast savings in excess of £4m during the coming financial year but it is now likley the financial benefits will be felt towards the end of the contract, around 15 years away.

This high tech facility will save many millions of pounds by lowering the cost of disposal of the city’s household waste as landfill charges have increased significantly over the last few years.

In hard numbers, it is designed to process around 132,000 tonnes of black sack waste per year from households and businesses. This will save an estimated £50m over the next 25 years by in part enabling the Council to avoid paying landfill tax charges.

“I am bitterly disappointed that due to the unexpected insolvency of a major supplier, this flagship facility is now five months behind schedule. This high tech operation is destined to save around £50m over its lifetime, and as a Council we were going to begin reaping the rewards in the next few months,” said Cllr Rob Middleton, Portfolio Holder for Resources.

“Thankfully, Amey who is overseeing the build is making alternative plans to finish this project as soon as is possible.

“At a time of budget cutting, the forecast savings of over £4M during the coming financial year will be sorely missed.”