“We are delighted to have secured such a substantial sum as we understand the government received 130 bids from councils across the country. This funding will enable us to make further savings, using our own waste to fuel our collections vehicles, providing a sustainable solution to rising fuel costs,” said Cllr David Hopkins, the council’s Member for Environment and Waste.
Currently all the food and garden waste collected from the green bins is taken to a specialist plant in Cambridgeshire where it is turned into compost. The council is also progressing plans to build its own anaerobic digestion plant in Milton Keynes, which will treat all the organic waste and generate biomethane to fuel the collection vehicles.
The new plant is scheduled to be in operation during 2014. Moreover, the government’s funding will begin in 2013/14 aiming to deliver the new vehicles by 2014/15.
Source: Milton Keynes Council
