Circular Malton & Norton is an initiative aiming
to create Yorkshire’s (and possibly the UK’s) first circular market town. Malton
is one of Britain’s most renowned foodie destinations with
traditional food shops, artisan producers, restaurants, a cookery school, food
tours, markets and festivals.
This project was supported by the Rural Community
Energy Fund (RCEF), a grant scheme being delivered by the five Local Energy Hubs
in England on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial
Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Defra). Funding was secured by the volunteer based Circular Malton group and
NNFCC to explore the feasibility of establishing an anaerobic digestion (AD)
facility in or close to Malton & Norton, utilising local wastes to further
improve the circularity.
NNFCC were involved in conducting the following
analysis:
- Feedstock assessment – to understand arisings and availability of food waste from households, commercial businesses and industrial food manufacturing sites in and around the towns; suitable green waste from Council collections and amenity land management; and agricultural wastes and residues from the local farming community.
- Site assessment – a number of potential sites were identified and appraised according to their specific location, access, layout, existing infrastructure, adjacent activities and current ownership position. The two most favourable sites were selected, deemed to have minimal impact regarding traffic, noise, odour and visual impact, which were the predominant concerns raised during extensive community engagement.
- Policy & regulatory review – current policies and regulations were reviewed, to identify potential support mechanisms, regulatory risks, local planning policy and permitting requirements, for example.
- Technology review – Suitable technologies, appropriate to the scale, nature and location of likely future developments were considered, focussing on both biomethane injection to the gas grid (BtG) and combined heat & power (CHP).
- Economic evaluation – a review of the capital and operational costs of the preferred development options was undertaken using NNFCCs AD Cost Calculator, to determine the commercial feasibility.
As a result of the analysis, two options were
proposed for further consideration; one using at least 20,000 tonnes per annum for
BtG, and the second a smaller facility using up to 10,000 tonnes per annum, with
an on-site CHP, producing heat and power for more local distribution. The
feasibility study has been well received by the funder, the Local Enterprise
Partnership (LEP) the community and local landowners. An application for RCEF
Stage 2 funding has been made to cover the development phase, in which NNFCC
will continue to be heavily involved.