The contract is likely to see a £100 million energy-from-waste incinerator developed as the county seeks to divert more than 200,000 tonnes of waste from landfill over the next two decades.
Treatment must be safe for the environment and human health, recover value from waste and not be a substitute for reuse, recycling and composting.
Cllr Kieron Mallon, Oxfordshire CC
The county's waste partnership, including the county council, Oxford city, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, Cherwell and West Oxfordshire councils, has been keen to stress their county is already achieving some of the highest recycling rates in the country.
Currently recycling 40% of household waste, Oxfordshire is aiming to hit a 55% rate in the long-term.
Nevertheless, councillors have said time is running out to hit government landfill targets, and thereby avoid “heavy fines”, which was why incineration needed to be developed in the county.
Councillor Kieron Mallon, who chairs the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP), said: “The Oxfordshire Waste Partnership recognises that despite the excellent recycling and waste minimisation performance across the county, waste treatment is essential in meeting service, environmental and budget targets.
“The county council's waste treatment proposals are entirely consistent with the OWP's policies in that treatment must be safe for the environment and human health, recover value from waste and not be a substitute for reuse, recycling and composting. The efforts of the partnership and the county council through this process will maintain Oxfordshire's position at the forefront of waste and recycling performance,” Cllr Mallon said.
Bids
Oxfordshire said the two remaining bids have been examined against “stringent technical and funding criteria”. Both companies will now be asked to submit their proposals in more detail and, following rigorous evaluation, one of these will be chosen.
A final decision will be announced early in 2009, while the successful bid could have its incinerator operational in 2012.
The two bidding companies are both offering energy-from-waste treatment for the county's residual waste. Viridor is proposing a plant for Ardley in the north of Oxfordshire, while WRG is offering a “similar” facility according to the council, for a site at Sutton Courtenay, near Didcot in the south of the county.
Both sites already house landfill facilities, and the council said whichever site was ultimately chosen for the incinerator would benefit from a reduction in landfill activities.
Each company will need to apply for planning permission for what they propose, and this will be subject to full consultation with local people and statutory organisations.
Oxfordshire said there are now 20 incinerators in the UK, and that any facility developed will need to be permitted by the Environment Agency, which “has strict rules for such facilities and will not allow anything that is unsafe”.
Cllr Roger Belson, Oxfordshire county council's cabinet member for sustainable development, said: “We are sure that nearby local communities will want to have a say and they will be able to do just that when a planning process begins. Each of those communities should be assured that energy from waste incinerators are safe.
“Even the best countries in Europe only recycle 50-60% of waste and need to have an alternative way of disposing of waste than landfill. We are in the same boat. There is still much more recycling of waste that can be done and we are aiming high. However, 100% is an impossible target,” Cllr Belson said.
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