Energy from waste diversion contract signed

RUBBISH from South Wiltshire will be providing energy for the National Grid thanks to a contract agreed by Wiltshire County Council.

The 25 year deal will send 50,000 tonnes of household waste per year, principally from the Salisbury district, to a new energy from waste (EfW) plant near Slough. The contract is due to start in 2008.
Marlborough-based Hills Group will deliver the waste and this will involve around eight lorry loads a working day running from the waste transfer station at Thorny Down on the A30 east of Salisbury.

The EfW plant, which is currently under construction at Colnbrook near Slough, will be operated by Lakeside Energy from Waste Limited, which is a joint venture between Grundon Waste Management and Viridor Waste Management.

Toby Sturgis, the cabinet member for planning and waste, said: “The contract is part of the county council’s long term waste management strategy which pledges to boost the proportion of the county’s waste that is recycled or converted into energy and massively cut the amount buried in landfill.
“Currently people in Wiltshire recycle almost 39 per cent of their household rubbish and that is a tremendous effort. The remainder is buried in landfill and we must look at different ways of reducing that total. This new arrangement is just one way of tackling it, together with measures to increase our recycling and encourage more waste reduction. ”

Tough EU legislation aimed at diverting rubbish from landfill means the county, along with authorities nationwide, will face crippling fines if it does not find new ways of disposing of its rubbish.

In the budget the Chancellor announced that Landfill Tax is to rise by £8 per tonne each year from April 2008, until at least 2011. The rise in the annual increase in the tax on active waste going to landfill – which currently stands at £21 per tonne and will rise to £24 per tonne next month – would see a level of £48 per tonne reached in the 2010/11 financial year.

Wiltshire will be one of a number of local authorities that will benefit from the 400,000 tonnes-per-annum energy from waste plant being built by Lakeside Energy. Designed to meet stringent emission controls, it will generate some 37 megawatts of electricity for the national grid - sufficient to serve over 50,000 homes.

Alan Pardoe, managing director of the Hills Group, said: “We believe this contract between ourselves, Lakeside and the county council provides a good deal for all concerned and offers Wiltshire residents a cost-effective way of dealing with their waste.”

Richard Skehens, a director of Lakeside EfW, said: “We are very pleased that these contract negotiations have been concluded. The constructive approach by all parties has helped bring this agreement to fruition. The result is a partnership for the future.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:
For more information please contact the Communications Unit at Wiltshire County Council on 01225 713114/5/6.

For comment contact:
Toby Sturgis, Conservative, 01249 720433
Sylvia Doubell, Liberal Democrat, 01249 632380
Margaret Taylor, Labour, 01380 723537

1: The diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill is a key objective under the EU Landfill Directive. In the United Kingdom, by 2010, biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill must be reduced to 75 per cent of the amount landfilled in 1995; by 2013 this is reduced to 50 per cent and by 2020 to 35 per cent.

2: From April 2005, any council that fails to reach government targets aimed at reducing the use of landfill faces fines of £150 a tonne. Without the new projects, Wiltshire would face fines of £7m in 2009/10, which could escalate quickly if the government chose to increase the level of fines.

3: Wiltshire currently recycles almost 39 per cent of its rubbish. Approximately 86 per cent of households in Wiltshire are served by a kerbside collection scheme. The county also has a network of 10 household recycling centres which are recycling up to 80 per cent of the materials they receive plus more than 300 neighbourhood bring sites. For more information see www.wasteinwiltshire.com.

4: The family-owned Hills Group is Wiltshire’s recycling contractor. It operates the kerbside collection scheme, runs household recycling centres and banks, and operates a large materials recycling “factory” and composting operation at Compton Bassett. More information from www.hills-group.co.uk or call Barrie Hedges on 07899 923756.

5. Lakeside EfW is a joint venture between Grundon Waste Management and Viridor Waste Management. Contact Ruth Roll, Lakeside Energy from Waste Ltd, on 01327 844074 for more information.