Northacre Resource Recovery Centre
Site address
Stephenson Road,
Westbury,
Wiltshire,
BA13 4WD
Head Office Opening Hours: 08:30 - 17:00 Monday to Friday
Site Opening Hours
Monday – Friday:
07.00 – 16.30
Saturday:
Closed
Sunday:
Closed
About this site
Northacre at Westbury is the home of our innovative mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) facility, operating under a 25-year contract with Wiltshire Council.
Environment Agency site permit
The Environment Agency (EA) regulates waste disposal sites through environmental permits and other regulatory mechanisms. These permits are essential for businesses that use, recycle, treat, store, or dispose of waste or mining waste. The EA ensures that all waste is managed safely and doesn't pose unacceptable risks to people or the environment.
The site permit for our Northacre Resource Recovery Centre is EPR/LP3491EE
What is MBT?
MBT uses natural microorganisms to accelerate the decomposition of waste. Inside a sealed building configured to restrict the release of odours, the microbes get to work for up to 14 days. As the waste begins to dry, it loses between 20 – 30% of its original weight. After which it’s further processed to recover any metals which can then be recycled and reused. We have capacity to handle 90,000 tonnes of waste per year at Northacre, with Wiltshire’s household waste services contributing two-thirds of the volume.
What happens to the dried waste?
We turn the material that remains after drying into a solid recovered fuel (SRF). The SRF is no longer waste but a dry, sanitised product that can be handled safely. The amount of material that can’t be used as SRF is disposed of through our landfill site, but this significantly less than the volume that would otherwise have been landfilled. At present, the SRF is shipped to Europe for use in renewable energy plants. But we have exciting plans to use it right here in Wiltshire.
Our plans for Northacre
At Hills Waste Solutions, we’re committed to using state-of-the-art technology to improve the sustainability of our waste. As such, Northacre Renewable Energy Limited (NREL) has been established to deliver the Northacre Energy-from-Waste facility in Westbury, Wiltshire.
Working alongside Hills own Northacre Resource Recovery Centre, the two sites can be used to generate low-carbon energy from one integrated location – reducing landfill and cutting our region’s carbon footprint. By turning your household and commercial waste into electricity, we can help power local businesses and boost the electricity supply network.
NREL is majority owned by Qair, an independent renewable energy company developing, financing, building, and operating solar, wind, waste-to-energy, storage and green hydrogen production assets. The Hills Group is a shareholder of NREL.
