The June 5 fire destroyed 500 tonnes of input material as well as an office building at the Clipper Close site.
The cause of the blaze has yet to be established, but Viridor says that there are no suspicious circumstances and nobody was injured in the incident. Firefighting activity stopped the fire from causing significant damage to the main plant.
Viridor has announced today (July 2) that the plant is now accepting loose feed from customers and will return to accepting baled materials shortly.
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Derek Edwards, regional director for Viridor, said: “I would like to express thanks on behalf of all at Viridor for the fast response and excellent cooperation from the emergency services that attended on the evening of the fire, especially Kent Fire and Rescue. Their fast action and partnership working with the Viridor team meant that the main building was prevented from sustaining any serious damage and has enabled us to return to operational status quickly and efficiently. This enables us to continue to provide the essential recycling infrastructure needed by our customers and partners.”
Viridor’s 75,000 tonnes per year capacity plastics sorting facility in Rochester was described as one of the most sophisticated plants of its kind in the UK upon its official opening in November 2014.
It is capable of separating mixed plastics from contaminants such as metal, paper and glass, as well as separating the plastics by polymer. Material is baled on-site and transported onwards for reprocessing. Total permitted input for the site is around 75,000 tonnes of mixed plastics per year.
The design of the plant has been praised within the sector, and last month received the ‘Design of a Waste Management Facility’ award at the Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management.
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