A REVOLUTIONARY waste disposal pilot scheme looks likely to point the way for the future of waste management in the UK.

One NorthEast Chairman Margaret Fay declared the experimental In-Vessel Aerobic Digester plant at Thornley, in east Durham, as a national trailblazer.

The head of the regional development agency, visiting the site for the first time, saw how the digester is treating 10,000 tonnes of household rubbish and turning it into compost, or recovering recyclable by-products such as aluminium, steel, glass and plastics. Without being reprocessed in this way the waste would have to be buried in landfill sites.

The £1.7m research and development project was initiated and funded by the County Durham Environmental Trust (Cdent) and represents a major response to the Government's drive to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.

Dr Les Grant, chief executive of Premier Waste Management, the company which operates the digester, described the trial as "an unqualified success".

He said: "During the past two years we have continually assessed the plant's aerobic digestion and sorting capabilities, progressively refining its performance.

"The efficiency of the plant in converting unsorted waste into recycled products has exceeded even our most optimistic predictions.''

Dr Grant said that the nature of waste management was changing and was now being seen as a resource.

At the end of her fact-finding visit, Mrs Fay said: "The technology behind the aerobic digester could play a major part in the North-East and the UK's future waste strategy."

She said: "The Government has already set local authorities challenging targets in terms of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and the aerobic digester, coupled with kerbside recycling, will be vital in meeting those targets.''

One NorthEast also had a key role to play in encouraging the region to explore new ways of reducing, recycling and re-using waste which will all be to the benefit of the environment.