Over £150 million has been invested in north London to build new public recycling facilities for local authorities.
Taylor Woodrow constructed the facilities at Edmonton EcoPark as part of the North London Heat and Power Project. The building took four years to complete and began operating on a trial basis in April 2024.
The NLWA said the phased ramp-up of local boroughs delivering waste was successful and the second building on the site, a brand-new reuse and recycling centre, is now planned to open to the public on 15 July.
Seven boroughs backed the redevelopment of Edmonton EcoPark into a modern, sustainable waste hub that includes a new resource recovery facility for managing local authority waste, including food and garden waste, mattresses, and bulky items.
North London Waste Authority (NLWA) said the capacity of the new facility provides provision for north London to double its food waste collection ability ahead of the planned compulsory food waste service for all residents across England by 2026.
The site has been a dedicated waste management spot for over 50 years and now for the first time ever will allow our residents to bring their waste directly to be recycled.
Cllr Clyde Loakes, Chair of North London Waste Authority which is redeveloping the site, has said: “The site has been a dedicated waste management spot for over 50 years and now for the first time ever will allow our residents to bring their waste directly to be recycled.
“This marks a key achievement in the development of the EcoPark into a sustainable waste hub and to continue to provide vital services to north Londoners.
“NLWA is constantly innovating, as recognised by our recent MJ award for innovation, and this development continues to build on the success of other new services we have added; like our mattress, carpet and DIY waste recycling schemes.”
Over 22,000 tonnes of materials have already been recycled through the new facilities by LondonEnergy and 3,000 mattresses were prevented from going to incineration, the Authority said.
The facility also includes north London’s “largest” solar array which has generated 215,000 kWh of energy and, the NLWA said, is planned to take EcoPark House off-grid.
The front of the EcoPark features a district heat network energy centre built by Energetik, an Enfield Council Company, which has been designed to take heat from the new Energy Recovery Facility when it is commissioned.
Construction continues for the new waste-to-energy plant with concrete structures now clearly visible on the site.
