AN ANAEROBIC digestion plant near Dorchester will be playing a key role in processing waste after a new contract was secured.

It comes after Eco Sustainable Solutions won a multi-million-pound waste handling contract with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP).

The four-year deal, with an option to extend to up to ten years, will see Eco processing all the organic waste generated in the BCP region including garden waste, wood and food.

It will be recycled into compost, mulch, soil, turf and green energy such as low-carbon biofuels, electricity and heat.

The processing will be done at Eco’s main, 14-acre site in Parley and its anaerobic digestion plant at Piddlehinton.

In 2019 the firm retained a long-standing contract with Dorset Council Waste Services, previously Dorset Waste Partnership, for the handling of the county’s organic waste.

Eco recently announced plans to build an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at its Parley site to help process an extra 60,000 tonnes of waste a year. Up to a fifth of that would be recycled and the rest would be used to generate more low-carbon energy.

The firm is undertaking a public consultation on the plans this autumn to gather feedback and inform a planning application in due course.

Eco’s Commercial Director Peter Hardy said of the organic waste contract with BCP: “It is a further vote of confidence in our 25 years of waste management services here in Dorset.

“It’s tremendous news for us but more importantly the people of the BCP region who want reassurance that recycling and environmental protection are top priorities at this critical time for the planet.”

Eco employs 45 people at three sites across Dorset, processing local, natural organic waste each year which is put back to good use as compost, soil improver, fertiliser, landscaping products and biofuels. It treats 250,000 tonnes of waste a year and also produces clean power from solar power, anaerobic digestion and combined heat and power (CHP)