Prosper de Mulder to invest £12m in cutting edge recycling plant
FAMILY-OWNED Yorkshire group Prosper De Mulder is to invest £12m to create one of the most advanced recycling plants of its kind in the UK.
The 80-year-old Doncaster business – which has a turnover of £200m and is involved in a range of operations including rendering animal waste, recycling food waste and manufacturing pet food ingredients – has gained planning permission for a state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at its plant on Ings Road.
The £12m plant will also see the company, which has customers including Sainsbury’s, take on 35 new jobs. It already has a UK workforce of around 1,100 people based at 19 sites across the country including Doncaster, Leeds and Bridlington.
The plant will process up to 45,000 tonnes of food waste from local supermarkets, restaurants and caterers and will play a crucial role in helping the UK to honour its commitment to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill.
AD technology works by harnessing the natural degrading process of food waste in a safe and secure environment. As the food breaks down, enough methane will be produced to generate 2MW per hour of renewable electricity – enough to power the equivalent of 4,000 homes.
The technology will also be used to generate the energy needed to power Prosper De Mulder’s site and produce high quality nutrient-rich fertiliser, which will be supplied to local farms.
Andrew Smith, chief executive at Prosper De Mulder, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded planning permission for this new facility, which will firmly put Doncaster on the map as leading the way in generating renewable energy from food waste.
“As more and more people see the potential in recycling food rather than sending it to landfill, developing the UK’s capacity for turning food waste to energy is a must. This new plant is just the latest part of the substantial investment that we are making in such technologies over the next few years.”
Construction is due to start on the new facility imminently, with the aim of being up and running by the end of the year. Once operational, the new plant will recycle food waste from a number of Prosper De Mulder’s leading customers including Sainsbury’s and contract caterer BaxterStorey.
