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Derwenthaugh EcoParc

Created by brothers Michael and William Thompson, together with fellow director Richard Mair, a £50 million deal helped to launch the Derwenthaugh EcoParc site in Gateshead.

Set to innovate the way we manage waste, Michael Thompson, chief executive, stated: "People are now aware of the need to use waste, it is much too valuable a resource to put into landfill or incinerate. We are entering the carbon economy and this project provides the UK with a head start which councils and industry need to take advantage of. Graphite's aim was to provide a facility that people would be happy to have as a neighbour - clean, modern, using the best materials and best technologies available now, and for the foreseeable future. That is the Derwenthaugh EcoParc."

The Derwenthaugh EcoParc and its recycling plant is one of the first of its type in the UK and is due to be operational in autumn 2009.

Richard Mair, development director, said: "If autoclaving is adopted by local authorities nationally, it has the potential to revolutionise the way we think of waste. Instead of being a burden, it will be seen as a resource."

In the short-term, the plant will offer waste treatment and recycling services to waste companies and local authorities.

Detail of site and location

The Derwenthaugh EcoParc is situated south of the River Tyne in Blaydon, Tyne and Wear on a site of 5.17 acres.

The site is located off Derwenthaugh road, Blaydon, Gateshead and is accessed via the A695/ A694/ A1114 roundabout approximately 190m south east of the site. The A1 is situated approximately 150m west of the site.

Click here to see the location on Google maps

Waste handling capacity

  • Recycling rate of over 80 per cent
  • Capable of treating 320,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste, industrial and commercial wastes per year
  • 60,000 tonnes of light waste (kerbside, commercial and industrial) per year
  • 20,000 tonnes of green and skip waste per year

Planning process

Full planning approval for the site was obtained in 2005.

Great care was taken at the planning stages to cater for otters which use the drainage ditch at the eastern boundary of the site. Special fencing was erected at the outset, and is maintained to allow industry and ecology to co-exist in harmony.

Key Points

Vehicle movements - 500 vehicle movements permitted each day - 250 in and 250 out.

Traffic hours - Weekdays 6am to 8pm | Saturdays 6am to 1pm

Operational hours - 24 hours per day

Environmental permit - all operations are carried out under the conditions of an environmental permit. Permits are only granted when the Environmental Agency is satisfied that the works undertaken meet all current environmental legislative requirements and codes of practice.

Derenthaugh EcoParc

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