Viridor resubmits plans for Cheshire MBT
The Taunton-based company had original been refused planning permission by the local authority for its proposed 250,000 tonnes-a-year capacity plant, which would treat residual waste at Lostock Gralam in Cheshire. Viridor is currently competing with Resource Recovery Solutions – a consortium of United Utilities and Interserve – for the £1 billion waste treatment contract (see letsrecycle.com story). The revised application has seen the company scale down the size of the development, which would now be used to treat 200,000 tonnes of residual waste per year. Solid recovered fuel (SRF) produced by the Lostock Gralam facility would be treated at the Ineos Chlor facility at Runcorn.
Dan Cooke, external affairs manager at Viridor, said: “The revised proposals now submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council offer best practice residual waste treatment which will bring many positive benefits including local jobs, substantial investment and local energy production.”
Consultation closes on Mercia's £120m Worcester EfW
Spanish waste management firm Mercia is planning to develop a 200,000 tonnes-a-year capacity facility to treat residual waste produced by Worcestershire county council and Herefordshire council, having first outlined plans in November 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story). Waste at the site is intended to be processed into renewable energy, generating around 15.5MW of electricity – enough to power 20,000 homes. The statutory public consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed last week (August 13), and Worcestershire county council's cross-party planning & regulatory committee will now consider the application and consultation responses but no date has been set for a decision to be made.
John Plant, co-director of Mercia Waste Management, said: “There has been a good level of interest and engagement about our proposal. Mercia remains committed to listening to and talking with residents and the community as a whole. Listening to local opinion on waste management issues has been vital in taking our proposal forward to planning.”
Myerscough College to launch waste management foundation degree
Preston-based Myerscough College is set to launch one of the first ‘blended' foundation degrees for waste management in its 2010/11 educational programme.
The College – which is part of the University of Central Lancashire – has developed the foundation degree with industry input and a £100,000 grant from the North West Universities Association. The course was initially conceived as ‘on-the-job' training, which would see members of the waste management sector attend classes once-a-week for three years to gain their foundation degree. However, following discussions with the sector, the College has opted to deliver the course through four workshops over the course of the three years which will be complemented by online seminars. Myerscough College is applying for accreditation for the course from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management and is currently seeking applicants for places on the course at http://www.myerscough.ac.uk.
Craig Thompson, head of agriculture and countryside, said: “Since October [2009] we have been developing a quite innovative blended learning foundation degree in waste management. Myerscough has a good reputation for online learning and it gives students access without having to come in once-a-week.”
WREN plans to safeguard 35 play areas
The coalition government announced last week (August 11) that it would freeze funding awarded to 132 councils to develop 1,300 play areas and warned that play areas not under construction could have public funding withdrawn. WREN has been working with local councils under the Playbuilder scheme since 2008, awarding £1.8 million of match-funding to maximise playground delivery at locations within 10 miles of a WRG landfill site. And, following the decision to halt the scheme, WREN has started talks with local authority partners to discuss how to prioritise the £1.2 million already allocated to this scheme by WREN and safeguard some of the play facilities that are at risk and where there is the greatest need. It is hoped that up to 35 of the play areas could be saved as a result if WREN is able to reprioritise its funding.
Peter Cox, managing director at WREN, said: “Since the announcement, I have been talking to our affected local authority partners and have asked them to identify priority schemes. We remain committed to supporting projects located in priority areas, where play facilities are in greatest need and will deliver maximum community benefit. We're determined that with our support some of the Playbuilder projects will have a future.”
Central Beds backs plan to expand BEaR waste tender
Central Bedfordshire council has backed plans to include additional waste management services under its long-term waste management contract.
Members of the council's executive committee voted earlier this week (August 16) to allow the waste contract – known as the BEaR Project – to include a number of additional provisions. These being: the redevelopment of household waste recycling centres at Ampthill, Biggleswade and Leighton Buzzard and to re-locate the Dunstable site; the provision of gritting salt storage barns in strategic locations; creation of a waste transfer station; and, for bidders to provide for the treatment of organic waste in their main proposal. The BEaR Project is currently evaluating applications for the contract in order to shortlist the bidders to come forward with solutions that will best meet Central Bedfordshire's needs (see letsrecycle.com story). Further announcements related to the waste tender are expected to be made in October 2010.
Councillor Budge Wells, spokesperson for the BEaR Project said: “This is great news for residents in Central Bedfordshire and means that an improved and more efficient environmental service will be provided in years to come. Just upgrading the recycling centres alone offers many benefits, such as convenient drop-off bays without the need for steps, improved recycling performance, easier access and parking and a better customer experience overall.”
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