Warrington-based water firm buys tipper truck fleet to transport sludge fertilizer to farmers

A fleet of shiny new tipper trucks will be transporting sludge cake to farmers around the region, courtesy of United Utilities.

The Warrington-based water firm has bought 12 new tipper trucks from its fleet partner, Volvo, and hired 15 new drivers to help it distribute the sludge cake that’s created at its wastewater treatment works and used as fertilizer on agricultural land.

The water firm believes that bringing this activity in-house will save it around £1 million a year.

The new trucks will be taking sludge cake from four major treatment works - Shell Green in Widnes, Davyhulme in Manchester, Stockport and Leigh.

Martin Shaw, United Utilities’ logistics manager for bioresources services, explained: “Bringing the biosolids transportation service in-house will ensure we have full responsibility, control and visibility of the recycling and disposal of our biosolids.

“The vehicles will be running enhanced treated sludge cake from Davyhulme to the Derbyshire area initially then to other areas across the North West and Midlands.”

After waste goes down the toilet, it ends up at one of United Utilities’ 569 wastewater treatment works. From here the sludge is taken to one of the company’s 37 bioresource treatment centres. The treated material, called biosolids, is provided to local farmers for use as a high quality fertilizer.