Elstow Waste Transfer Station and Materials Recycling Facility - Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK - Factory Tours on Waymarking.com

The plant is regulated by the licensing authority of the Environment Agency from Brampton and operated by Shanks & McEwan for the Unitary Authority, Bedford Borough Council.

We parked and were greeted by a Recycling Education Officer who was to be our guide. We then spent some time in the Education Room where the whole recycling procedure was explained to us and we then asked a barrage of questions about recycling in general and how this plant embraced the various categories. Here we were issued with protective helmets, a flourescent tabbard and earphones to a sound link so the guide could speak to you above the noise of the machinery. The recycling collection vehicles flowed in and out in a steady stream all day. They had their weight recorded in when full and then when empty by passing over a weighbridge. Our guide then took us on a tour of the facility.

A Bedford Borough notice was displayed indicating the different items which can be recycled in our area. These include paper, cardboard and cartons, all plastic and food packaging, metal packaging and worn out textiles. Surprisingly but to the credit of our facilities in Bedford clothing, Tetra-Pak cartons and aluminium foil is included. Our green waste is collected fortnightly in green bins but this goes to a separate operation.

Vehicles bringing the recycling collect the waste from the households around Bedford Borough from the orange bins left outside for kerbside collection fortnightly. The Plant is situated to the south of the town on the A6 near to the A421 southern bypass. The wide vehicular entrance leads to the facility which is built on reclaimed landfill site which was originally used for brick clay extraction.

The large clad building where the vehicles discharge their load is very exposed to the westerly winds so one can imagine the scene. The main pile of recyclable waste is a huge mountain. Both this and around the site is a magnet for rats which can be seen running around, well-fed and quite contentedly.

A mechanical shovel vehicle runs endlessly getting loads and dumping them in a hopper that feeds the conveyor which takes all the material to the second floor where a team of about 14 persons pick various specific items out and drop them into shoots of collection bags. The conveyor then passes under a very strong magnet where all metals are extracted rather noisily. Persons with pacemakers were not allowed near to it. The site of the rubbish mountain from above is something to behold! We were able to take photographs in all areas except where the hand-picking from the conveyor was taking place. This was at the request of the pickers. I will not say any more.

Once sorted through the rubbish left on the conveyor belt leads to another area where it is loaded into further vehicles and taken to Milton Keynes Recycling Facility where it is sorted mechanically using their modern state-of-the-art computerised systems. Then the various sorted categories are taken to plants that specialise in turning the waste into various goods.

This was a very interesting tour and an eye-opener into recycling in general and the necessary co-operation required by all businesses and householders to make it effective. Perhaps it falls short of the ideal but we are getting there gradually.

Free Sample Offered: yes Gift Shop Available: no Restaurant/Cafe Available: no Length of Tour: Over an hour Type of product manufactured: Misc Company Name: Elstow Waste Transfer Station and Materials Recycling Facility Tour Hours: From: 2:00 PM To: 3:30 PM Admission Price: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Tour's Web Site: [Web Link] Street Address: Wilstead Road, Elstow Bedford, Bedfordshire United Kingdom MK42 9YD

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.