Derby SWERF will be built with or without waste contract

Brightstar Environmental's current waste contract with the city council expires in 2005. The SWERF is not expected to be built before 2004 as the company is only now beginning the application process for its Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) licence.

Peter Cumberlidge, general manager of Brightstar, explained that the Australian company's work in Derby is subject to the council's tender for a long term waste management project, but stressed that the contract is not vital for the SWERF.

He said: “Our initial contract runs out in 2005. The SWERF will still be viable even if we don't get the contract, as Brightstar has alternative solutions. There is no shortage of waste in Derby, with commercial waste and other sources. The issue is that is our preference for household waste would come from Derby city council.”

A SWERF is seen as differing from a normal Energy from Waste facility because metals, glass and plastics are recovered from the waste stream for recycling before the remaining non-recyclable material is treated using thermal technology. The thermal treatment of the residual waste is known as gasification, in which a gas is produced that is then used to generate electricity.

Kerbside
Derby city council is introducing kerbside collections of recyclables to the city. Mr Cumberlidge said: “These are important to the operation of the SWERF, because we primarily deal with residual waste. At the moment waste is going through a transfer station out of the area because there is no landfill space, this is an issue for Derby.”

Derby city council gave planning permission for Brightstar to build Europe's first Solid Waste and Energy Recycling Facility (SWERF) in April 2002 (see letsrecycle.com story).

Brightstar has said it would prefer to secure its IPPC permit before starting construction work. Mr Cumberlidge said: “We're not going to set out on the process unless we are confident of getting the permit. It's a long process working with the Environment Agency and I hope that the local people take comfort that the process is fairly robust.”

The company has a SWERF already opened in Wollongong, Australia, and data from the plant is to be used to apply for the IPPC for the Derby plant. Mr Cumberlidge said: “We're collecting ongoing information that we need for compliance. It will be coming through over the next few months.”