As a county, Gwynedd is increasingly cutting down on the amount of waste sent to landfill sites; and by working together Gwynedd Council and local residents are ensuring that we can look forward to a greener future.
This is why Gwynedd Council is developing proposals to install a pioneering Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility which will treat food waste from the Arfon and Dwyfor areas of the county. Project GwyriAD will ensure that Gwynedd deals with its own food waste, and will mean that food waste will be collected from all Gwynedd homes on a weekly basis.
The Council’s Highways and Municipal Services has submitted a planning application for developing the facility at Llwyn Isaf near Clynnog Fawr. The facility will process up to 15,000 tonnes a year of food waste collected from homes and businesses in the area.
The process used to treat food waste is a completely natural one which will produce a bio-fertilizer which can be applied to land, as well as electricity which will be exported to the national grid.
Councillor Arwel Pierce, who leads on Highways and Municipal matters for Gwynedd said:
“GwyriAD is a truly exciting project which underlines Gwynedd’s commitment to finding creative and green solutions to deal with our waste. If approved, this facility will be one of the very first in Wales and will provide a key part of how Gwynedd deals with its waste.
“Gwynedd’s residents have shown great commitment to increasing the amount of waste we recycle and compost. This new facility will mean that we will be able manage Gwynedd’s waste in a more efficient way, and will allow the Council to introduce weekly food waste collections throughout the county.”
Councillor Gareth Roberts, Gwynedd Council’s Senior Portfolio Leader for the Environment said:
“This new and modern facility will help to ensure that we are able to continue to meet the Welsh Assembly Government’s challenging targets to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill sites.
“Not only will this innovative facility help to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill in Gwynedd, the AD process also produces a natural fertilizer which can be used on the land as well as being a great source of renewable energy which will be used to create electricity.”
A planning application has recently been submitted, and it is expected that the application will be considered by councillors in the autumn. If the planning application is approved, it is expected that the facility which will be monitored closely by Environment Agency Wales will be up and running by autumn 2012.
Three companies are currently part of a formal tendering process, with the successful company likely to be confirmed in the spring of 2011.
An open afternoon will be held from 2pm to 7.30pm on Monday, 20 September at Village Hall. Officers from Clynnog FawrGwynedd Council, Environment Agency Wales and others will be on-hand to answer questions and discuss Project GwyriAD. Local residents and anyone with an interest in the project are invited to come along and have a look at the proposals.
