The council, along with Derby city council, has been gathering information on where to place new waste treatment facilities – and is now hoping to find out local views on the findings.
” What we do with the waste we produce will have important environmental impacts. “
– Cllr Brian Lucas, Derbyshire CC
Derbyshire's Waste Sites Development Plan outlines potential waste treatment technologies available, along with possible sites in nine different districts and boroughs in Derbyshire.
The county council said that it currently sends about five million tonnes of waste from households and businesses to landfill every year. Under Defra's Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, this must be cut dramatically.
Mechanical biological treatment, incineration, pyrolysis, gasification and composting – both windrow and in-vessel are all discussed in the public consultation. The paper also includes details on other waste-handling infrastructure, including materials recycling facilities and waste transfer stations.
At this point in time the council is leaving its options for waste management open. A spokeswoman told letsrecycle.com: “We are at the very early stages and have not stated any preferences on waste treatment facilities.”
Funding
The council has already decided that it will not be taking advantage of government Private Finance Initiative credits to support the new infrastructure, instead opting to fund new treatment facilities through prudential borrowing.
The latest consultation closes at the end of August this year, after which a list of preferred sites will be drawn up for consultation in September 2007. It is hoped new waste treatment sites will be confirmed by November 2009.
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Derbyshire county council's cabinet member for sustainable communities, Cllr Brian Lucas, said: “What we do with the waste we produce will have important environmental impacts and – in the case of cutting down on landfill – important financial impacts.
“We need the views of local people to help us draw up our future plans and make sure Derbyshire continues to be a great place to work and live,” he added.
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