When the amount delivered exceeds capacity - the newly built GKS interim waste storage facility at the Rothmühle waste management centre was inaugurated with a capacity of up to 12,000 tonnes in mid-September.
The purpose of the newly built interim waste storage facility is quickly explained: if waste incineration at the Schweinfurt joint power plant (GKS), where residual and bulky waste from almost all of Lower Franconia (and beyond) is incinerated, comes to a temporary standstill or the quantities delivered exceed the incineration capacity, waste acceptance can still continue without interruption. ‘This is a huge advantage for citizens, as there are no delays in emptying the black bins throughout the year,’ District Administrator Florian Töpper is quoted as saying in the press release.
In the event of a plant shutdown in waste incineration or seasonal fluctuations in waste volumes, the interim storage facility, which can hold up to 12,000 tonnes, enables waste to be received continuously, thus guaranteeing supply and disposal security. The interim storage facility was built by GKS-Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Schweinfurt GmbH. The district of Schweinfurt has made the area at the waste management centre available for this purpose.
Ground-breaking ceremony July 2023 - opening September 2024
The previously used interim waste storage facility would no longer be usable in the future due to the ongoing backfilling of the Rothmühle landfill. Following the ground-breaking ceremony for the new building in July 2023, the new facility could now be inaugurated in September 2024. ‘A precision landing, both in terms of the schedule and the costs,’ said Dr. Ragnar Warnecke, Managing Director of GKS.
As was previously the case at the old site, only residual municipal waste and shredded bulky waste intended for incineration at GKS will be stored temporarily. According to the press release, the innovative concept aimed at and implemented by GKS for storing the waste in a so-called mobile silo construction is unique in this form and corresponds to the state of the art. The concept scores with flexibility, robustness, independence, environmental friendliness and cost efficiency.
The new GKS interim waste storage facility will be managed in the usual way by the AES (Abfall und Energie Schweinfurt Land GmbH) team at the waste management centre, which has also worked with GKS in the past.
The cooperation between the district's subsidiary AES, the district of Schweinfurt and GKS worked extremely well, emphasised District Administrator Töpper. He thanked GKS Managing Director Dr. Warnecke and Lord Mayor Sebastian Remelé for their ongoing support, as well as all those involved in the project, whose commitment had contributed significantly to the success of the project.
Image: District Administrator Florian Töpper, GKS Managing Director Dr. Ragnar Warnecke and Lord Mayor Sebastian Remelé (from left) officially opened the new GKS interim storage facility at the Rothmühle waste management centre in mid-September.
Source: Press release of the Main-Post media group dated 24. September 2024, photo: Andreas Lösch