14 July 2005
Auckland International Airport Limited (AIAL) today signed an agreement with New Zealand company Medi-Chem Waste
Services Limited to replace the current airport incinerator with a state-of-the-art steam sterilisation unit.
The airport operates the current incinerator as part of its statutory responsibility to provide a disposal facility for
quarantine waste from international flights. It also provides incineration services to other users in New Zealand.
The airport company has been investigating options for replacing the incinerator with more environmentally-friendly
steam sterilisation and conducted an international tender for the development.
AIAL general manager - engineering, Steve Reindler, says that the new unit will be built on the site of the current
incinerator, "The facility will utilise the latest steam sterilisation technology which produces zero harmful emissions
to the atmosphere, in a configuration which has the potential for recycling and recovery initiatives.
"Operating in a manner that minimises the adverse impact on our local community and physical environs is one of our core
values.
"Medi-Chem will build, own and operate the new facility on behalf of the airport company for an initial period of 20
years."
The steam-sterilisation unit will be one of the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere processing more than of
5,500 tonnes per annum. It will have considerable capacity to accommodate growth in the airport as well as servicing
quarantine and medical waste markets in the upper North Island.
Medi-Chem director, Lincoln Falconer, says that this new facility would complement Medi-Chem's operations at East
Tamaki, "We have highly sophisticated plant for processing a range of hazardous waste. We want to show New Zealand
businesses that many things they currently 'throw in a skip' can be recycled or more responsibly processed at reasonable
cost.
"With the new plant at Auckland Airport, we will also be doing our part to ensure that potential bio-security threats
are managed efficiently, effectively and in an environmentally-sustainable way."
Greenpeace executive director, Margaret Crozier, said the organisation was delighted that Auckland Airport had made the
move, "The company has listened to the views of Greenpeace and local people," she said, "This is a positive step for
both people and the environment."
It is anticipated that construction of the new sterilisation facility will commence in the latter part of this year. It
will be commissioned in early to mid 2006. At that time the incineration operation will cease.
ENDS