State of the art recycling in Keynsham
Official opening of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s purpose-built recycling hub
An ambitious new recycling facility has been opened in the Somerset town of Keynsham. The new recycling is a central depot for more than 100 recycling vehicles, and consolidates operational facilities from three sites across the Bath & North East Somerset area.
Cllr Kevin Guy (Council Leader), Cllr Sarah Moore (Council Chair) and Cllr Tim Ball ( Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services) officially open Keynsham Recycling Hub, photo courtesy of Bath & North East Somerset Council.
The site’s new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) boasts the latest sorting and baling equipment. Other technical features include a 3800m2 (783KWp) solar PV array installed on top of the buildings. Rainwater harvesting collects water from rooftops which is then stored underground for later use in vehicle washing and plant watering. Such sustainability measures have been built into the design as part of the council’s wider commitment to the climate and ecological emergency.
The site also includes a sizeable salt and gritting barn, which will help tp keep the nearby A4 and adjacent roads between Keynsham and Bath clear during winter conditions. There’s an on-site MOT and Servicing Centre for council vehicles as well as public and commercial vehicles, and a reuse shop offering pre-loved items for sale.
More than 200 operations and support staff are now based in the site’s modern offices and welfare facilities.
The local council invested £41.8m in the new facility. The first phase opened in April last year: a public household waste, reuse and recycling centre. Construction has only recently been completed on the final phase: the operational hub to deliver frontline services including recycling and waste collections, and vehicle servicing.
Cllr Tim Ball, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services at Bath & North East Somerset Council, says: ‘I am delighted to officially open the new Keynsham Recycling Hub today, see at first hand the impressive facilities and meet some of the staff who are now based here.
‘The investment in construction of the purpose-built modern Keynsham Recycling Hub and the consolidation of collections, disposal and recycling processing operations will help to reduce general waste and operational costs and ensure the service can meet current pressure and future demand from an increasing population.’
Cllr Sarah Moore, Chair of the Council, adds: ‘This has been a huge project and it is exciting to declare this new modern facility officially open.’
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