A six-year-old contract for dealing with Surrey’s 600,000 tonnes of household waste has been amended, as part of the county’s long-held aspiration to build two incinerators.
The changes are in line with the solution proposed in the 25-year-old contract with SITA subsidiary, Surrey Waste Management, when it was signed in 1999, but reduce the size of the facilities and change the proposed location of the second site.
They were made alongside the drawing up of a new waste strategy, which confirms Surrey’s support for incineration.
Surrey looked into mechanical biological treatment of waste, but ruled out the option, due to the large land area needed for potential facilities and a cost-benefit analysis which showed a ‘significant’ cost difference against incineration.
The vexed question of selecting a site for an incinerator is also addressed. Eight sites were deemed potentially suitable for a facility, after weighing up the deliverability, transport and environmental pros and cons. A final decision will be made following a six-week public examination, due to be held next February.
In the same month, the Government’s planning inspectorate will hold a six-week public examination into the plan, then in September 2007, the final plan is due to be adopted. Surrey councillors turned down one of two of the proposed incinerators in 2001, and were criticised by a government inspector for failing to pinpoint land for a plant in their previous waste plan (Surveyor, 13 December 2003).