Willshee's Waste & Recycling has scooped a multi-year contract to supply carbon offset fuel to one of the UK's leading cement works, trading under the brand Lafarge Cement, and owned by Aggregate Industries, part of the Holcim Group.

The site is located in Cauldon, near Ashbourne. Following Lafarge’s investment in an alternative fuel platform, operated by its waste division, Geocycle, it has contracted Willshee's to supply an estimated 15,000 tonnes of Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) a year – equating to three to four deliveries a day, five days a week. The SRF comes from Willshee’s state-of-the-art materials handling facility in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, transported by Willshee’s own fleet of vehicles. This site primarily uses industrial and commercial waste to produce this high-quality sustainable fuel.

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Once delivered to site, the cement kiln then recovers the thermal energy from the SRF to power the manufacturing process, whilst recycling any mineral content within the SRF into the final product, through a process called "co-processing". The output from the kiln is used in a wide range of building products for the construction sector.

The production of SRF allows Willshee's to follow its policy of zero waste to landfill, and the company is seeing a huge increase in demand for this fuel option within the UK market. Working with local businesses also means shorter journeys which reduce the carbon footprint and bring further environmental benefit.

Andrew Whyatt, Head of Geocycle UK, said: "We are delighted to enter into this multi-year agreement with a rapidly growing and dynamic waste management company in Willshee’s. Their proximity to the Cauldon Cement Plant not only reduces the carbon footprint of the fuel that is manufactured at their advanced sorting facility in Swadlincote, but also provides us with excellent levels of service from their dedicated vehicle fleet.

"From the outset we were impressed with the drive, knowledge and flexibility of the team, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership."