Do you watch your rubbish disappear into the lorry and wonder what happens to your old socks and rinsed-out bean tins? Some members of Thetford Environmental Group recently went on a guided tour of the Materials Recovery Centre (MRC) in Costessey to find out.
The MRC, which sits on the edge of an old landfill, processes all the recyclable waste from Norfolk. While the landfill is no longer used, its methane emissions are captured and converted into energy for the plant. Norfolk has moved away from landfill entirely, with green bin waste now going to an incinerator in Cambridgeshire.
At the MRC, lorries empty their loads into an enclosed area where waste is scooped onto conveyor belts. The process is both mechanical and manual, with various steps ensuring that recyclable materials are separated effectively. Around 80% of black bin contents are successfully recovered and sold for recycling, while the remaining 20% goes to the incinerator.
The plant is a maze of conveyor belts and workstations, designed to sort materials with precision. Workers and automated systems work in tandem to handle the complex flow of waste.
Plastics, however, remain a challenge. The MRC currently recycles hard plastics and plans to process soft plastics in the coming years. Plastics, made from crude oil, contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emissions and never disappear, breaking into microplastics that spread everywhere.
The MRC is incredible in its ability to give waste a second life, and the tour was inspiring. However, the sheer volume of rubbish highlighted the enormity of the task. Recycling is a vital tool, but the visit reinforced how important it is to step back from consuming so much in the first place.
Thetford Environmental Group
