Industry Insight Tours – Woodlands In-Vessel Composting Facility

In the final tour of current series of Industry Insight Tours held on behalf of  the Green Growth Platform we headed to Whitesmith near Hailsham to visit Veolia’s Woodlands In-Vessel Composting Facility. The tour was led by Steve Usher, IVC Manager at the composting plant. The facility processes 45,000 tonnes of green and garden waste from kerbside collections and waste transfer stations from East Sussex and Brighton and Hove annually.

½ of the waste which enters the site is household waste from kerbside collections including 1000 tonnes of food waste which is collected from Lewes district. The remaining green waste comes from park and council maintenance.

Once the green and food waste is delivered to site it is shredded to create a more even mix, the composting process then begins in large concrete chambers where temperatures reach up to 60 degrees, water is added to cool the compost if required and air is injected through the floor to ventilate and also to simulate the compost being turned.

Temperature and moisture content are monitored by probes inserted through the ceiling and gases are extracted through a bio filter of wood chip above the tunnels. The compost is then moved to the maturation hall when it matures and is occasionally turned for around 8 weeks before being graded into fine and coarse grade compost.The fine compost is bagged and sold as Pro Grow compost locally and coarse compost goes to local farmers, schools and community groups.

Industry Insight Tours are now finished for 2015. Our newest series of events ‘Case Study Visits’ begins in July with visits to Earthship Brighton and Plumpton College. Details.

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The Green Growth Platform supports a thriving and innovative green sector in Sussex through a unique menu of business services delivered by a team of industry specialists, business advisors and university experts. The Platform offers businesses 1-2-1 coaching, events and networking, innovation and R&D support and skills and training. For more information and free membership, please visit www.greengrowthplatform.co.uk.

The Sustainable Business Network is pleased to be working in partnership with the Green Growth Platform to run a series of networking events, site tours and specialist seminars: www.sustainablebusiness.org.uk/network.