Tipner facility to reopen in January

TJ Waste is pleased to share that we will be reopening our Tipner Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in the new year following an extensive rebuild.

The waste sorting facility was devastated in July when a fire ripped through the building, causing substantial damage. It is thought that the fire was caused by an incorrectly discarded lithium-ion battery igniting in our warehouse. The disposal of lithium batteries is strictly prohibited in our skips and our third party tipping service.

As soon as the Tipner site was signed off as safe by the fire service, we immediately got to work clearing the area and liaising with the insurance company to commence the restoration work.

While much of the building was destroyed, the frame itself remained sound, providing a great starting point for us to build upon. The building’s substructure needs to be replaced in its entirety – from the walls and insulation, to electrics, pipes and roof.

We are working with Roofing, Cladding & Building Ltd, who have been a customer of ours for around five years, utilising our skip and RORO hire services. They’ve just finished putting up new purlins and are now preparing the structure for the installation of the new cladding.

The team is expected to make steady progress for the rest of the year, with the new facility being ready to open in January. Once the warehouse rebuild is complete, it will be kitted out with new machinery and plant, which we utilise for transferring waste and for segregating waste into categories for onward recycling, reuse and disposal.

We work closely with a network of recycling partners both in and outside of Hampshire to ensure that all waste types are directed down the most appropriate and eco-friendly route for their type.

We’re dedicated to diverting as much waste as possible from landfill and endeavour to recycle up to 100% of the waste that we handle. In 2022, we processed 115.5K tonnes of waste across our four MRFs!

Tipner’s reopening will be marked with a fantastic opening event, with invitations being extended to customers, as well as a range of other stakeholders, including Portsmouth City Council.

The new facility will enable us to provide the same great services we’ve always provided – a third party tipping service for commercial customers, as well as an extensive skip hire service to commercial and domestic customers across the southern region.

Whilst Tipner has been out of action, our Quartremaine Road site has become the go-to facility for our customers. While Quartremaine was not open to the public prior to this incident, we worked hard to get the site fit for purpose and ready to receive customers on-site just 48 hours after the fire, ensuring minimal disruption to service.

This was possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our staff from both the Tipner and Quartremaine sites. It has meant changes in working hours and locations for many staff members, but the entire team has pulled together to make it possible.

TJ Waste’s Commercial Director, Luke Haskell, said: “The reaction that we’ve received from our team has been phenomenal. Right from the incident itself, when staff turned up on site to help dampen the flames, to their assistance in moving operations to Quartremaine and helping with the smooth day-to-day running of operations there, we couldn’t have asked for more. They’ve gone above and beyond to bridge the gap until Tipner is ready to reopen. I’d also like to thank our customers and the general public for their support throughout, it really has made all the difference in what has been a very challenging time.”

Keep your eye on our social media channels for regular Tipner updates over the coming weeks in the lead up to the reopening!

Check out our blog on the safe disposal of lithium-ion batteries and get in touch if you have any questions about Tipner or our other MRFs…