Quick Facts about Aylesford Newsprint
- Paper Machine 14 (PM14) is 120 metres long, 9.4 metres wide and operates at 1,680 metres per minute.
- Paper Machine 13 (PM13) is 90 metres long, 5.4 metres wide and operates at 900 metres per minute.
- The Gas powered combined heat and power plant is owned by Npower Cogen and produces 92 Mwh of electricity and 120 tonnes of steam per hour. A further steam generator (the sludge combustor) also produces a further 25tph of steam.
- The de-inking and pulping plant has an input capacity of 500,000 tonnes of recovered paper per annum.
- A biological water treatment plant cleans the used water prior to discharge to the river Medway.
- A visitors centre, mill guide and organised visitors route through the mill is available.
- Training facilities including the bespoke Excellence Centre.
- Business turnover is about £130 million per annum.
- Production of Newsprint is about 400,000 tonnes per annum.
- Employment: 380 people.
On average PM 14 runs at about 63 miles per hour. The final sheet is 9.4 metres wide. The production is in four weights of newspaper - 42.5, 45, 48.8 & 52 grams per square metre.
Some recycling figures
- On average 32% of the rubbish we throw away is paper and card, most of which is newspapers and magazines. All of this can be recycled.
- Every tonne of recycled paper we produce uses 60% less electrical energy in its manufacture than the equivalent newsprint produced from fresh fibre.
- Whilst recycling recovered newspapers and magazines into newsprint, we recycle over 90% of the water we use.
- Recycling paper products releases limited timber resource for alternative uses such as house construction and furniture.