Tuesday 8 October 2013

Council chief blunders in citing Sheffield’s city incinerator

Cllr Michael is on risky ground in referring to Sheffield’s city incinerator (in Echo of 3rd Oct.) 
Bad emission levels – the worst in England - were tolerated by that Council until Greenpeace staged an occupation in 2001, raising public consciousness and forcing its closure.  The replacement incinerator operated by Veolia does have problems and cannot obtain enough waste from the permitted waste area.
This has lessons for Viridor’s incinerator in Cardiff.

Veolia assured Sheffield Council in 2002 they would make up any shortfall in domestic waste from local C&I (commercial and industrial) waste, to justify a new 225 000 tpa incinerator compared with the old 125 000 tpa (tonnes per annum).   How wrong they were!  In 2010 Veolia required permission from the Council to import waste from outside the Sheffield waste area.  In 2012 Veolia sought permission to import waste from even further, into Nottinghamshire, as waste reduction measures in Sheffield were successful and recycling rates in commerce and industry rose.

Likewise, Viridor assured Cardiff in 2010 that they would make up any shortfall in domestic waste from C&I waste from S-E Wales.   They failed to provide any assessment, but comparison with the Sheffield-Rotherham-Chesterfield-Nottingham area suggests that Viridor too will fail.

Cardiff was so keen to get an incinerator that they allowed a 350 000 tonne pa monster, over 50% larger than Sheffield’s.  Viridor are unlikely to find sufficient waste to fuel it, so will return to Cllr Michael’s planning committee for permission to import waste from afar, just as in Sheffield.

What a blunder, Cllr Michael, to refer to Sheffield city’s incinerator!

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