The council's administration has said incineration is its preferred method of treatment for waste that is not collected for recycling, suggesting it could be the cheapest option for Suffolk.
– Cllr Eddy Alcock, Suffolk CC
This preference has been stated despite a public consultation that saw a preference for mechanical biological treatment (MBT) over incineration.
The cabinet meeting on Tuesday will see county councillors debating the potential for using other treatment technologies such as MBT, which involves the separation, recycling and composting of mixed municipal waste.
There is indication from officers that using MBT with the recovery of any refuse-derived fuel produced could be an alternative option.
“Big risks”
However, the councillor with cabinet responsibilities for waste management, Cllr Eddy Alcock, has said that “newer technologies” would involve “taking big risks with taxpayers' money.
Any option like MBT that needs to send significant residue tonnages to landfill is seen by officers as “not a realistic option in Suffolk”.
Commenting prior to the meeting on October 31, Cllr Alcock, said: “The county council currently favours an energy from waste (incineration) solution. It is a good environmental choice, it is cheaper than all other options and we know it can work for Suffolk.”
Officers believe an incinerator would be around 12 million a year cheaper than an equivalent-capacity MBT plant.
Tendering for the long-term waste disposal contract is expected to begin towards the end of 2007, with a contractor selected in early 2009. Officers believe a new treatment plant would be built under the arrangements in 2013.
Recycling
Suffolk is one of the better English councils for recycling – achieving a 37% recycling-and-composting rate for household waste in 2004/05. However, Cllr Alcock said an incinerator would be needed to cope with tightening landfill limits set by Defra.
Officers have said they believe the county will run out of landfill allowances under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme by 2009/10 with current performance levels.
Tuesday's meeting will also see councillors discussing an interim arrangement before the long-term deal is implemented. This would cover the period from 2007 to 2009, potentially including a contract to upgrade household waste recycling centres and arrangements to boost kerbside recycling collections.
Councillors will then discuss the potential funding options within an outline business case for the long-term contract of around 25 years in length involving the construction of a single energy-from-waste plant.
Non-incineration
In their report to cabinet, officers said that councillors are not being asked to make a final decision on building an incinerator in Suffolk. They said the idea could be chosen as a preference, but that any potential bidders for the contract could still suggest non-incineration projects to meet the county's requirements.
The report said: “If the market was to come up with an non-EfW proposal which better meets our needs, the council would want to adopt the new proposal.”
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A public consultation run last year saw the public indicating that they would prefer MBT over incineration even if it meant 30 per year was added to Council Tax for the MBT option. Officers now believe 38 would be added to Council Tax to pay for an MBT plant.
Officers said the consultation, based on a postal questionnaire, had a “small sample of around 400 residents”, and suggested that the survey “can be used to give an indication of public opinion but cannot be treated as a statistically robust test of public views”.
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