1. Who are Mercia Waste Management / Severn Waste Services?
Severn Waste Services is the public face of municipal waste management in Worcestershire and Herefordshire, operating facilities for its sister company, Mercia Waste Management. Severn Waste and Mercia Waste are jointly owned by Focsa Services (UK) Ltd and Urbaser Ltd. These organisations are in turn owned by two major Spanish conglomerates, FCC (Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA) and ACS (Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA) respectively.
2. What is their involvement with Herefordshire and Worcestershire?
Mercia Waste Management signed a 25 year contract with Worcestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council in December 1998 under the Private Finance Initiative. This contract brought an integrated waste management service to the two counties delivering sustainable management of municipal waste. Currently, the contract manages six transfer stations, sixteen household waste recycling centres, a green waste composting facility (with a second facility being developed) and a brand new state-of-the-art materials reclamation facility, EnviroSort, at Norton.
3. What is the proposal?
Our proposal is to design, construct, build and operate a renewable energy-from-waste facility capable of recovering energy from 200,000 tonnes of left over municipal waste per annum. This left over waste, so-called ‘residual’, is waste left after recycling and composting. Our facility will generate up to 15.5 MW of electricity to be exported to the grid (enough to power over 20,000 homes – a town approximately the size of Kidderminster) and also has the potential to supply renewable heat. It will also recycle scrap metal (ferrous and non-ferrous) and bottom ash which is typically used as an aggregate in road surfaces. Part of its design will include a dedicated leading visitor and education centre for local residents, community groups, schools and individuals to visit and use.
4. Why do we need it?
In the UK, we have traditionally relied on dumping our waste in landfill sites. However, a combination of European, national, regional and local waste policies require that we reduce our reliance on landfill. These policies are reflected in a number of statutory targets and failure to meet them will result in severe financial penalties. From an environmental perspective, landfills generate up to 40 per cent of the UK's methane - or about 3 per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions. The methane produced by landfilling is understood to be a causal factor in climate change, therefore the UK is now looking at alternative treatments for waste.
The costs of disposal by landfill are increasing. Landfill tax is currently £40 per tonne and will increase by £8 per tonne every year until 2013. Whilst recycling is beginning to address this problem, there are still materials that can’t readily be recycled and new facilities will be needed to handle this ‘residual’ waste across the two counties so that we can meet the changes in legislation. In addition, the Government adopted the Landfill Directive which demands a reduction in the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill – by 2020 this must not exceed 35% of the 1995 level. Finally, by 2015 or earlier if practicable, the two counties aim to recover value (that’s materials and/or energy or compost) from a minimum of 78% of municipal waste. In addition, following the 15% renewable energy target by 2020 (EU Renewable Energy Directive), there is strong policy support from the UK Government for new technologies which provide much needed renewable energy and waste treatment capacity.
5. What is Energy-from-Waste (EfW)?
Energy-from-waste (EfW) provides treatment for residual wastes that can’t be readily recycled and therefore plays an important role in avoiding the landfilling of waste. Recovering energy from residual waste, after recyclables have been removed, ensures that the energy contained in the waste is used efficiently. The Government recognises EfW as a source of renewable and/or low carbon energy, in its ‘Planning and Climate Change – Supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1’ (www.communities.gov.uk) and in the recent Renewable Energy Strategy (www.decc.gov.uk).
6. How many EfW facilities currently operate in the UK?
EfW plants are now becoming commonplace. There are currently 21 EfW plants operating in the UK. All are highly monitored and regulated operating efficiently and safely under the Waste Incineration Directive (WID). There also hundreds of EfW facilities across Europe.
7. What are the benefits of this facility?
The facility will result in a move away from reliance on landfill as the main means of managing residual waste and moving towards a solution by which it is efficiently dealt with using a modern, clean and efficient process. This process will generate energy for export to the local electricity grid. There is also significant potential to utilise heat generated via the various industrial users within the locality and opportunities for this are being technically assessed at this time.
8. Are there any other benefits for the local community?
The proposed development would represent inward investment to the area with over £120 million being invested into the local economy. This business investment stimulus also signifies the green shoots for economic recovery in the UK. Up to 30 permanent local jobs will be created, with around 200 jobs during the construction process. Indirect benefits to the local area may flow from the provision of services and materials to the proposed facility including ongoing contract work with local companies. In addition, there is potential for the supply of renewable heat/hot water/space cooling at a major established business park. This represents a great opportunity for new businesses or existing businesses to manage their energy consumption.
9. Why can’t we just recycle?
Our EfW facility will only accept waste left after recyclables (plastics, paper, cans, etc) have been removed by kerbside collections. The EfW complements the recycling systems that are successfully operating across Worcestershire and Herefordshire rather than replacing them. The recycling systems currently in place include kerbside collections, Mercia Waste Management’s EnviroSort plant, and recycling facilities at household waste sites and bring sites across the region. The fourth R, recovery of energy, completes the hierarchy of sustainable resource management (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover).
10. Why has a single site been chosen in Worcestershire rather than Herefordshire? Isn’t the Strategy meant to be a joint plan?
Careful evaluation of technology options suggests that the most economic and sustainable solution for residual waste is a single plant serving the two counties. This has been borne out in the review of the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy undertaken by the Council’s Joint Members Waste Forum. With some 75% of the waste arising in Worcestershire, this is the most appropriate location for a single plant
11. Why have the Councils just undertaken a Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy Review?
The Councils are obligated to maintain an up-to-date Municipal Waste Strategy in order to reflect changing national strategy and local circumstances. When the strategy was first published in 2004, the authorities pledged to review it at least every three years.
12. Why are you going ahead with the proposal without full ratification of the JMWMS Review?
The JMWMS first review has been the subject of consultation and subsequent amendments. It has been ratified by the principal councils. Worcestershire and Herefordshire have been without a satisfactory residual waste management solution for too long and urgently need to deliver one to meet statutory targets and avoid large fines. Mercia’s proposal accords with the JMWMS Review and given the strategy’s advanced state, the company believes there is a clear mandate to proceed in the direction it is pursuing.
13. Why have you chosen Hartlebury Trading Estate?
The Hartlebury site was identified following an 18 month study to identify the most suitable site within the two authority areas for the proposed development. Over fifty sites were initially considered and the study identified that there are relatively few opportunities to site the plant such that they meet all the relevant planning and environmental criteria. The key reasons why the Hartlebury Trading Estate location scores so well against other evaluated sites are (in no ranking order):
14. What makes it “renewable” or “green” energy?
Renewable energy is produced from sources which do not deplete the earth’s finite resources. Renewable energy producers use fuel or resources from a renewable source such as waste, wind, solar or water power. The organic content of waste is from biomass (plants and animals) and this is classified as renewable by the European Commission and the UK Government. Fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil which have traditionally been used to produce electricity are not renewable sources. The Government recognises EfW as a source of renewable and/or low carbon energy, in ‘Planning and Climate Change – Supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1.’
15. What will happen to the ash from the process?
Ash generated from the combustion of residual municipal waste includes Bottom Ash and outputs from the Air Pollution Control process. Bottom Ash is the inert material that falls through the grate at the bottom of the furnace and may contain varying proportions of glass, ceramics, brick and concrete. The Government’s Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has established safe end-use markets for recycling bottom ash aggregate including concrete, pipe bedding and landfill engineering (see http://www.aggregain.org.uk/specifier/materials/incinerator.html). Bottom ash from EnviRecover will be recycled off-site for use by the construction and aggregates industry.
Material captured from the air pollution control system of energy-from-waste facilities contains lime and carbon with dust from the flue gases, which are removed at the final stage. This is classified as hazardous waste due to the lime content but can be re-used to neutralise acid wastes before they are disposed of. Therefore it has a beneficial use by displacing other raw chemicals which would have to be used by the waste industry. Final disposal will be made at out-of-county specialist, appropriately licensed facilities.
16. What about emissions?
Energy from Waste facilities are more strictly regulated than most other processes, including coal-fired and gas-fired power stations. All forms of energy-from-waste are regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) set by the Environment Agency and are required to comply with the EU Waste Incineration Directive (WID), which imposes strict emission limits. There are currently 21 EfW plants operating in the UK. All are highly monitored and operate under WID. Typically, emissions from UK plants are well below the required limits of WID.
This facility will comply with all the limits and regulations imposed and emissions will be continuously monitored, as well as being regularly and independently checked and monitored by the Environment Agency. Emissions data will be made publicly available.
The Health Protection Agency recently published its report on EfW’s and human health stating, "The evidence suggests that air pollution from incinerators makes up a fraction of one percent of the country's particulate emissions. Industry and traffic account for more than fifty per cent. European Union Directives aimed at minimising landfill are leading to an increased use of incineration, and research suggests that this will not cause any significant adverse health effects. The evidence suggests that any potential damage to health of those living close to incinerators is likely to be very small, if detectable. The Agency therefore does not believe that studies of public health around individual incinerators are scientifically justifiable."
17. What about impacts upon health?
Government reports have considered the health impact of incineration and concluded that they pose no material risk to health.
The main reports are a Defra study in 2004 (see link below):
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/statistics/documents/health-summary.pdf
and a September 2009 study by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) see link below:
http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1251473372218
The latter document concludes:
“The Health Protection Agency has reviewed research undertaken to examine the suggested links between emissions from municipal waste incinerators and effects on health. While it is not possible to rule out adverse health effects from modern, well regulated municipal waste incinerators with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close-by is likely to be very small, if detectable. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern and well managed municipal waste incinerators make only a very small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants. The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment has reviewed recent data and has concluded that there is no need to change its previous advice, namely that any potential risk of cancer due to residency near to municipal waste incinerators is exceedingly low and probably not measurable by the most modern techniques. Since any possible health effects are likely to be very small, if detectable, studies of public health around modern, well managed municipal waste incinerators are not recommended.”
18. The chimney stack will surely be a visual impact on the landscape?
The chimney stack will be approximately 80m in height and will be visible from the surrounding area. It is acknowledged that there will be some visual impact. Architects are currently working on the facility’s design to ensure it blends in with the surrounding environment.
19. Will there be an impact on air quality?
The cleaned flue gases will be released from a tall stack to enable the emissions to be diluted in the atmosphere before reaching ground level. This means that the concentrations of pollutants in the air will be very low. The European Commission, the UK Government, the World Health Organisation and the Environment Agency have set emissions limits to protect the environment and human health. The contributions from the EfW plant are expected to be less than 10% of these values, with the contribution for most pollutants being less than 1% (HPA). These peak concentrations will occur in a small geographical area, influenced by the prevailing wind direction and probably within about 500 metres of the stack. At greater distances and upwind of the stack, the contribution will be considerably smaller.
20. The facility will mean more traffic on our roads especially the country ones?
The plant is located centrally with respect to the major towns that will be generating most of the waste. A full Traffic Assessment, prepared to meet DfT guidelines, will be included as part of the planning application. Waste being treated by EnviRecover will be transferred mostly in bulk and assessment work to date has determined the likely routes of vehicles, which are focussed on suitable HGV haulage routes identified by Worcestershire County Council. In addition it has established that highway capacity will not be significantly affected. Ongoing studies have shown that the maximum number of vehicle deliveries will be 110 and 80 on alternate weeks.
21. What about noise and odour?
The process itself is not noisy although cooling fans do create some noise. For this reason planning limits on noise are likely to be imposed. A noise survey will be undertaken to establish background noise levels and computer modelling of the facility will establish the predicted noise that would be generated. The building will be designed to reduce noise to an acceptable level with all equipment that has the potential to create a noise nuisance being housed in acoustic enclosures. If required, the building itself can be insulated to minimise noise emissions. To reduce disturbance, all vehicles and plant under Mercia’s control will be fitted with ‘white noise’ reversing alarms. The only source of odour could be the incoming waste; however this will be stored in a bunker and the building will be fitted with well-fitting, fast-acting roller shutter doors to ensure that it remains enclosed. Combustion air for the EfW plant will be drawn from the bunker, meaning that it is kept under negative pressure to prevent odours escaping and the odorous air will be used in the boiler. When the EfW plant is off line for maintenance, the tipping hall and bunker will be kept enclosed and deodorising sprays will be used. Waste storage will be kept to a minimum under these circumstances.
22. What will the visual impact be on the local area?
The EfW would be a visible new feature in views from the surrounding area, with the top of the building being broadly at the level of the skyline when viewed from the nearest settlement (Waresley Park). However, the EfW would generally always be viewed in the context of the adjacent existing industrial development and Hartlebury landfill, and whilst evidently larger than these, would not be wholly out of keeping in scale. The intervening distance between visual receptors (e.g. houses at Waresley Park) and the site, and the extent of the panorama (i.e. breadth of views from the receptors), would mean that the EfW would affect only a small proportion of the views available. The preliminary outline design reflects the ‘linear stratified’ landscape when viewed from the nearest houses.
Suitable treatment of the building elevations in respect of materials, texture and colour will further reduce the visual impact.
23. What are the timescales and when would the facility be completed?
Subject to planning permission being granted, we expect construction to start in 2011 with the facility being fully operational by 2014/15. This is important as it means the authority will meet its targets for landfill diversion, avoiding substantial fines and additional costs.
24. Will the facility be processing any commercial or industrial waste?
The proposed EnviRecover facility would only treat Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), i.e. waste collected by local authorities. MSW largely comprises household waste with a small proportion of waste collected from “trade” customers. Trade waste treated at the EnviRecover facility would need to be of a similar composition to household waste to protect the plant and remain within its Permit to Operate. Waste arriving at the facility would need to be delivered by a Licensed Waste Carrier and accompanied by a Consignment Note detailing the composition of the material (using European Waste Codes). In addition the material would be subject to a visual inspection by trained operatives. The facility will not accept commercial or industrial waste delivered by private waste carriers. This way the capacity of the facility will be retained for the benefit of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Councils (and rate payers) through the avoidance of Landfill Tax.
25. EnviRecover and Recycling
After reducing our waste, and recycling and composting, the waste hierarchy identifies energy recovery as the next step to sustainable waste management. Other countries with high levels of recycling such as Germany and The Netherlands also have a significant number of energy-from-waste facilities and the positive relationship between recycling and Energy from Waste is well established.
Municipal Waste 2007 |
% recycled |
% landfilled |
% incinerated |
Germany |
64 |
1 |
35 |
Netherlands |
60 |
3 |
38 |
UK |
34 |
57 |
9 |
The proposals for Worcestershire and Herefordshire have been modelled to enable 50% of waste to be recycled by 2020. The facility will achieve further diversion from landfill through the extraction of metals, and bottom ash will be reprocessed to produce aggregate replacement – preserving valuable mineral resources.
26. How can local residents get involved?
Mercia Waste Management is undertaking a major consultation and community involvement programme. We are consulting on all aspects of the proposals and the consultation consists of a mixture of public open days, newsletters, leaflets and presentations. All material will be publicly available and accessible. We have also established a Community Liaison Group (CLG) for local residents and businesses to become involved in our proposal and the facility. In addition, following submission of the application, the local authority will undertake statutory consultation in accordance with national planning requirements. This will enable all local residents and other interested parties to formally express their views about the scheme.
All information about EnviRecover can be found at www.envirecover.co.uk and enquiries can be made through enquiries@severnwaste.co.uk or 01386 443376.
Research Study Links
Government Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
The Waste Strategy for England 2007:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/strategy07/index.htm
Waste strategy factsheet on Energy from waste:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/factsheets/energy.htm
Review of environmental and health effects of waste management: municipal solid waste and similar wastes (May 2004)
Summary Report:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/waste/statistics/documents/health-summary.pdf
Full report:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/waste/statistics/documents/health-report.pdf
Environment Agency
Briefing note on Energy from Waste and Health:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/5_wip_health_2147990.pdf
Further information from the Environment Agency on Energy from Waste:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/waste/103220.aspx
Health Protection Agency
The impact on health of emissions to air from municipal waste incinerators (September 2009): http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1251473372175