Cumbria County Council exceeds landfill waste target
- Published
Thousands of food digesters have been sold to families at discounted rates
More non-recyclable waste is being directed away from landfill sites in Cumbria this year than was predicted, the council says.
Cumbria County Council said 95% of such waste is on course to be treated at two plants in Barrow and Carlisle, where it is turned into solid fuel.
A spokesman said the original target for 2017 had been 87%.
The council has also sold 30,000 compost bins in recent years, as well as 5,000 food waste digesters.
Councillor Celia Tibble, council member for the environment, said: "Cumbria has a fantastic recycling rate and the waste plants have been a key factor in the huge reduction in waste going to landfill and increase in recycling."
The plant at Hespin Wood in Carlisle, is part of a 25-year deal worth more than £700m between the county council and waste management firm Shanks.
The facility uses technology called mechanical biological treatment (MBT), which speeds up waste decomposition.
The MBT process sorts out recyclables and allows waste to be shredded, dried and transformed into a solid fuel, which can be burned to provide an alternative source of energy to traditional fossil fuels.