Yorkshire setting for £900m recycling project

Blueprints for the controversial project spanning the next 25 years were unveiled yesterday under a 900m deal which will be the biggest contract ever awarded by North Yorkshire County Council and York City Council.

The multi-million-pound scheme will involve a series of recycling techniques operating from the same site to handle up to 320,000 tonnes of waste a year, although the most contentious element will be the introduction of a rubbish incinerator.

A grassroots campaign spearheaded by parish councillors is already under way to block the incinerator proposals, but senior council officials attempted to allay concerns after Government studies insisted there are no dangers to public health.

They stressed that keeping the status quo was not an option after the Government announced landfill taxes will escalate by 50 per cent by 2015.

Fines which currently stand at 48 a tonne of rubbish which ends up in landfill will rise by 8 a year.

North Yorkshire County Council's new chief executive, Richard Flinton, said: "Council budgets across the country are going to be in a precarious position because of the Government cutbacks in funding.

"The pressures will only increase as landfill taxes rise, and we believe that there is a compelling case for introducing the recycling plant.

"We need to provide not only the environmental benefits, but also the best financial benefits we can to the county's taxpayers."

York Council's director of city strategy, Bill Woolley, claimed that dumping rubbish in landfill sites would cost the councils up to 1.8bn over 25 years, which would lead to dramatic council tax rises.

He added: "This contract will give cost certainty – and a huge 320m saving on waste management costs over 25 years."

Households across York and North Yorkshire currently produce about 470,000 tonnes of waste a year with 55 per cent ending up in landfill.

The new plant, which will create 70 jobs and is due to be built on the existing Allerton quarry and landfill site next to the A1M near Harrogate, is aimed at ensuring the two councils reach a target of recycling at least 50 per cent of waste by 2020.

The technologies that will be used include a state-of-the-art mechanical sorting system which can be adapted to reclaim different types of waste, as well as anaerobic digestion, where micro-organisms break down biodegradable material to produce green energy.

However, a thermal treatment plant which will generate enough energy for about 40,000 homes through incineration will prove to be the most contentious element of the scheme.

A 260ft chimney is due to be built to disperse emissions from the incinerator, although Mr Flinton stressed that they would be the equivalent of the pollution generated by traffic along a seven-mile stretch of the A1.

The Government has also confirmed that it has given the go-ahead for 65m in private finance initiative (PFI) credits to be used for the contract.

A major international company, AmeyCespa was announced yesterday as the preferred bidder for the contract after a tendering process began in September 2007.

A public consultation is now under way before the two councils meet in October to decide if the proposals should be approved.

Construction could then begin at the end of next year if planning permission is secured, and the plant could be operational by 2014.

LANDMARK COUNTY WASTE SCHEME

The multi-million-pound recycling plant which has been earmarked for North Yorkshire will prove to be a watershed in the handling of waste in England's largest county.

The proposed site at Allerton quarry has been chosen for its strategic location and good transport links next to the A1.

Up to 40,000 tonnes of food and organic waste will be processed at the plant annually to produce renewable energy.

The incinerator will itself produce at least 50,000 tonnes of aggregates a year which can be used in the construction industry. The plant will also generate 24 MW of electricity, enough to power about 40,000 homes.