Mechanical Biological Treatment is not a new technology, but it is one that has been almost completely overlooked in
Britain.
MBT systems are not new. In their more primitive guises, they can be considered a basic evolution from the (usually
failed) mixed waste composting plants of two decades ago. However, the potential for integrating systems based around
biological treatment of degradable fractions with increasingly efficient mechanical separation techniques is a more recent
development, as is the tendency to look to employ digestion techniques for the biological treatment phase as opposed to
aerobic treatments.