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27
Jan
Allerton Waste Recovery Park misses recycling target yet again
Allerton Waste Recovery Park has blamed a breakdown in technology and “challenging markets” for missing its recycling target once again.
The recovery park, which is run by Thalia Waste Management on behalf of North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council, is based off the A1(M) near Knaresborough.
Built at a cost of £1.2 billion to divert 320,000 tonnes of waste a year from landfill, it includes a mechanical treatment plant, an anaerobic digester and an incinerator that generates energy from waste.
However, according to a performance report, the plant failed to meet its recycling target in 2024/25.
The report says that last year the recovery park recycled 1.75% of waste against a contractual requirement of 5%.
The site has not met the target any year since it began operation in 2018.
According to the performance report, the failure to meet the requirement was due to a breakdown in the plant’s technology, including its mechanical treatment shredders.
The report also said current recycling markets was “challenging” due to higher energy costs.
It said:
Recycling performance was 1.75% against a contractual target of 5% which was a slight reduction when compared to the prior year’s outturn. The main reason for this were issues with the energy from waste availability and breakdown of one of the mechanical treatment shredders in December 2024.
This was replaced in early March 2025. Recycling markets remained challenging throughout the year with some operators being impacted by higher energy costs.
Waste being processed at the plant.
The facility separates recyclables from household waste when it arrives at the plant. It then sells on the material to recycling processors.
But the plant has never met its contracted target, which is set by both North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council. It managed just over 2% for the first time in 2022.
Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s transport, economy, environment and enterprise overview and scrutiny committee will discuss the report on January 28.
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