Mechanical Biological Treatment

Five new Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) facilities four with Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants will replace existing treatment processes at Longley Lane and Reliance Street in Manchester, Cobden Street in Salford and new facilities in Bredbury, Stockport and Arkwright Street in Oldham (MBT without AD).

The MBT facilities combine the processes for separating and treating mixed residual waste on a single site − generating useful end products in the process.

MBT sites treat and process the waste that is left over from your house that you can not recycle in two phases:
First, any large items not suitable for the process are removed, such as furniture.
Second, a mechanised sorting facility removes materials that can be recycled using a process that typically involves a series of conveyor belts, industrial magnets, shredders.
Third, a trommel which is a large cylindrical drum acts like a sieve separating large and small factions of the waste.

The large fraction is ‘baled’ and compressed producing Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) ,ready for transfer via rail for use in thermal power generation at a separate site.

The remaining small fraction is the organic component of your waste and is treated using a biological process called Anaerobic Digestion (AD).

MBT systems significantly lower the amount of waste sent to landfill. 

Watch the construction of our Arkwrigth Street MBT.

Find out more about MBT and AD.