The NLWA manages waste transportation and disposal on behalf of seven boroughs in the North London area, including Hackney.
Its existing 500,000 tonnes per year capacity plant in Edmonton is to be knocked down and replaced with a larger, 700,000 tonnes per year facility, scheduled to be operational in 2025.
Last month, Cllr Peray Ahmet, the leader of Haringey council, broke rank from the other six local authorities involved with the project to write to the NLWA to ask them to “pause and review” the redevelopment of the plant (see letsrecycle.com story).
And, on Monday (13 December), eight people were arrested after Extinction Rebellion protesters blocked entrance points at the site to demonstrate against the redevelopment (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, yesterday, GMB called on the NLWA to press on with plans as the new plant “turns waste into energy and provides good jobs”.
Michael Ainsley, GMB regional officer for engineering construction, said the new plant was “much cleaner than the one it is replacing”.
And, in a joint statement, Philip Glanville, mayor of Hackney, and Cllr Mete Coban, cabinet member for energy, waste, transport and public realm, said the new plant was “the most environmentally responsible and cost effective solution for the waste from two million people”.
Construction
Tomorrow, the NLWA is to vote to award the contract for the build of the new EfW plant to Madrid-based construction company Acciona (see letsrecycle.com story).
The building and subsequent operation of a new incinerator will provide many good-quality, well-paid jobs
– Michael Ainsley, GMB regional officer for engineering construction
The tender process to build the plant was launched last year and is valued at £683 million. Acciona confirmed to letsrecycle.com that it was bidding for the project.
Mr Ainsley said GMB has been “at the forefront” in securing a structured national agreement for the building of the plant via the National joint Agreement Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) agreement.
The NAECI sets the terms and conditions of employment for the hourly paid engineering construction workforce.
He added: “GMB is eager to ensure a clean stable environment for our members and their children, but we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
“If we delay or scrap this project, ever-increasing levels of waste will continue to be put into landfill and find its way into our rivers and oceans.”
Publicly owned facility
In their statement, Mr Glanville and Cllr Coban argued that sending waste to other facilities was “not an option” because it would “cost more to use private companies and wouldn’t meet the Mayor of London’s target to treat all of London’s waste within London”.
They said the replacement facility would power up to 127,000 homes and provide heat to a district network for up to 50,000 homes and businesses.
And, they added that the new facility would use “new, advanced” technology to capture NOx emissions.
“We have no choice but to plan for how we dispose of the waste generated in Hackney and north London,” they said. “Some people think that we should not build a replacement, but the alternatives, including a ‘pause’, are worse for the environment and in the long-term would cost Hackney council tax payers a lot more.
“We won’t be leaving your waste in the hands of private waste disposal companies but dealing with it in a publicly owned facility, which will be the cleanest in Europe, generating heat and power for thousands of homes.”
Edmonton
The NLWA manages waste on behalf of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, and Waltham Forest, serving more than two million people.
The NLWA’s existing EfW plant in Edmonton is decades old. It is to be knocked down and replaced with the larger facility, with the heat used locally.
Subscribe for free