For many years, we’ve stopped much of the waste produced on our Samlesbury and Warton sites in Lancashire, and Brough site in Yorkshire, from going to landfill using methods such as recycling, treatment and incineration. However, the final piece of the puzzle was removing cured carbon fibre from the landfill waste stream, which is difficult to recycle due to its heterogeneous hybrid structure.
In 2019, our team on-site took up the challenge find a different disposal method, and soon identified incineration with energy generation as a viable alternative. As the waste material is burnt, it creates energy and heat, generating electricity for the national grid and hot water to the plant’s local community. And whilst the incineration of waste does produce some emissions, these are managed through the plants environmental abatement technology, as well as generating energy.
A trial was conducted to review the incineration approach and support its wider implementation and after a successful period, and with the necessary approvals, the team was able to stop all cured carbon fibre from being sent to landfill and switch to the incineration disposal method.
