All waste which can not be recovered through the initial sorting process in the Materials Reclamation Facility (MRF) will be passed through the Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) Facility which recover the last fraction of recyclable material and produce and prepare a fuel fraction known as Refuse Dervived Fuel (RDF), leaving only a residue for landfill.

The MBT process begins when the residual waste from the MRF facility is shredded and treated biologically by aerobic composting. The resulting material is then drier than the residual waste and can then therefore be separated mechanically into metal, organic, RDF and inert material such as glass or stone.

RDF from this facility will then be used to supply some of the fuel needed for the RDF power plant which is proposed on the site. The majority of the fuel needed to feed the power station will be located at other MBT facilities located elsewhere in the region.

There are currently several MBT plants operating or in construction in the UK, and MBT plants are common in Austria, Germany and Italy.