Member Article

Morgan Sindall breaks ground at new £32m Walsall Council Waste Facility

Morgan Sindall Construction has celebrated the commencement of works on a new Household Waste Recycling Centre and Waste Transfer Station at Middlemore Lane, Walsall, with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The project is a part of Walsall Council's strategy to modernise and enhance waste management services within the area. The new facilities will play a crucial role in meeting local and national waste management objectives by reducing landfill waste and increasing recycling rates.

The state-of-the-art Household Waste Recycling Centre and Waste Transfer Station will be built on a six-hectare site formerly occupied by McKechnie Brass Ltd.

Representatives from Morgan Sindall, Walsall Council, Wardell Armstrong, AtkinsRéalis, and Pagabo gathered on Wednesday 24th July to put spades in the ground at the site of the transformative project.

Darren Beale, Operations Director at Morgan Sindall Construction marked the occasion with a welcoming speech and led a site tour for the client and stakeholders, including Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council’s Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and Regeneration and Councillor Kerry Murphy, Walsall Council’s Portfolio Holder for Street Pride.

To prepare for the building works, Morgan Sindall undertook work to re-engineer the soils using lime and cement stabilisation techniques and managed significant lying surface water on the site.

In line with Morgan Sindall’s commitment to sustainable construction, 354 tonnes of carbon have been saved through the '10 Tonne Carbon Challenge', which involves working with consultants and the supply chain to find intelligent solutions to reduce carbon from the buildings Morgan Sindall delivers by a minimum of 10 tonnes.

The new Middlemore Lane Household Waste Recycling Centre will feature a maximum throughput capacity of 40,000 Tonnes Per Annum (TPA) across 19 bays, each housing two skips, while the Waste Transfer Station will accommodate up to 125,000 TPA of collected municipal waste and recyclate, with spare throughput capacity to future-proof against the potential growth in waste arisings.

In addition to the construction of the Household Waste Recycling Centre and Waste Transfer Station, the project will include the provision of weighbridges, service yards, ventilation systems, and office and welfare facilities for operational and management staff. A reuse shop with workshop area will also be incorporated into the site, further enhancing its functionality and community benefit.

The project, procured through Pagabo’s Major Works Framework, is scheduled to be completed within 64 weeks, with Morgan Sindall overseeing all aspects of the technical design and construction to ensure the successful delivery of the facilities.

Richard Fielding, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Midlands, said: "It was great to break ground and mark the start of works on the site of this crucial sustainability project together with representatives from Walsall Council, Wardell Armstrong, Atkins Realis, and Pagabo today.

“Delivering key infrastructure for the benefit of local communities is at the heart of what we do at Morgan Sindall, and we’re pleased to be working with Walsall Council to help them achieve their ambition of creating a healthier, cleaner and safer borough for its residents.”

Elliott Talbot, Framework Manager at Pagabo, said: “The climate crisis has been well documented in recent years with an increase in landfill waste being one of the biggest threats to our environment, so it’s great to see Walsall Council putting its green foot forward and prioritising investment in a management system that will increase recycling rates.

"It's always brilliant to be down on site to see work getting underway, and for that to happen so quickly is testament to a smooth procurement process. With social value being so important to us here at Pagabo, we know the work will benefit the community on its way to completion and beyond, delivering key infrastructure that will increase community engagement and work towards a cleaner future.”

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and Regeneration, said: “This project is a massive investment for the future of the borough and a commitment to our cleaner and greener strategy. 

“Our current facilities have served us well, but this project will accommodate increasing demand and help us all to recycle and reuse more of our waste.    

“Importantly, the site will house banks of solar panels, generating much of the renewable energy needed to run the site.”

Councillor Kerry Murphy, Portfolio Holder for Street Pride, said: “It was great to get a feel for just how big this site is and to see the progress that is being made. This is a building we are investing in for the future of our residents here in Walsall. The site will help us in the here and now and moving forward with our ever-growing population for many generations to come.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Robson .