£3.8bn waste deal triggers jobs bonanza

A green revolution and jobs bonanza is under way after a £3.8 billion contract was signed by waste disposal chiefs.

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) has finally agreed to Europe’s largest 25-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) waste and recycling contract with Viridor Laing Limited which will trigger a £640 million construction programme.

It includes creating a network of state-of-the-art recycling facilities over the next five years, employing 116 extra staff to the 620 now secured — and creating another 5,000 much-needed jobs in the building trade and wider economy.

GMWDA says the project, the first in the UK, will provide a revolutionary integrated solution for the 1.3 million tonnes of municipal waste it handles every year.

Greater Manchester’s network of 25 Household Waste Recycling Centres will also be increased and upgraded.

GMWDA says facilities will be easier for residents to use, provide better working conditions for waste operatives and will use modern methods to eliminate noise and odours.

Recycling rates across Greater Manchester have already risen from 7% to 30% in the last seven years and they are now expected to reach 50% by 2015. More than 75% of waste will be diverted from landfill.

The deal, which has taken two years to agree, will increase costs to households by £1 a week — but GMWDA says doing nothing would have cost an extra £2 a week in landfill tax and penalties.

Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn, said: “Diverting one million tonnes of waste through these world class waste facilities will be a major step in reaching our 2013 and 2020 landfill targets.”