Blaise Farm Composting Facility
On 1 September 2008, Kent County Council opened its first advanced biological waste treatment facility at Blaise Farm Quarry. The facility was constructed by Dean & Dyball Civil Engineering for client New Earth Solutions (NES). It is capable of processing 50,000 tonnes of waste a year and provides a local solution for source separated green and kitchen waste from households across south west Kent.
Kent County Council required the facility to support segregated collection schemes of organic waste operated by the councils for Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells Borough. By processing waste in close proximity to its place of origin the council is able to reduce road mileage and its carbon footprint.
In so doing the facility produces a range of high quality composts that can be widely utilised across agriculture, land remediation and regeneration activities in the region.
Uniquely, the New Earth Solutions facility at Blaise Farm offers full enclosure of the entire composting process and is complemented by a comprehensive emissions management system. The composting process is managed by an advanced computer controlled optimisation programme, which ensures that perfect conditions for conversion of organic waste into compost are continuously maintained.
The technology is housed in buildings designed to have minimal impact on the surrounding environment and waste treatment is delivered through processes that are readily acceptable to local communities.
At Blaise Farm there are two composting halls and a waste reception building measuring 90m x 70m, 50m x 70m and 50m x 30m, respectively. Each is steel framed with internal pre-cast concrete push walls.
Prior to the start of construction works, the site layout was substantially altered and additional maturation bays added to the contract. Dean & Dyball Civil Engineering was however, able to re-programme the works, accommodate the changes and still maintain the original programme duration.
When a second waste reception building, measuring 50m x 30m, was added towards the end of the contract, additional resources from the company’s in-house workforce were mobilised at short notice to work alongside specialist subcontractors to ensure there was no delay to completion of the contract.
Despite these and many other alterations required during the course of works, there was only minimal change to the 37 week programme and Kent County Council was able to bring the new facility into use on the originally agreed date.
Dean & Dyball Civil Engineering is continuing to work closely with New Earth Solutions as a network of facilities is rolled out across the UK. Other local authorities working with NES include Bournemouth Borough Council, Bristol City Council and Dorset, Essex and Leicestershire county councils. In the private sector MacDonald’s Corporation and Asda Stores are utilising the technology.