WRA member Eco Sustainable Solutions has submitted plans to increase recycling and recover valuable energy from leftover rubbish to Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council. The proposal is intended to provide a vital part of Dorset’s green infrastructure.
Eco wants to add a hi-tech energy recovery facility (ERF) to its Eco Park site at Parley near Bournemouth Airport. If approved, it would enable the 25-year-old company to process an extra 60,000 tonnes of local waste a year on top of the 250,000+ tonnes it currently handles.
The plans also include improvements to the existing site layout and incorporate an already permitted anaerobic digestion facility.
The proposed ERF replaces a bioenergy facility that Eco already has planning permission for, increasing the green energy generated from local waste.
Up to a fifth of the extra waste processed at the new ‘Chapel Gate ERF’ would be recycled with the rest used to generate green energy for local homes and businesses.
Currently, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of leftover rubbish created by BCP and Dorset homes and businesses is taken by road out of the county, with significant amounts ending up in landfill, emitting methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Diverting this waste from landfill via Eco’s proposed ERF will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 12,850 tonnes of CO2 per year and HGV ‘waste miles’ by more than 17,000 miles per month.
The plans also include a visitor and education centre designed to support local council efforts to encourage people to do more to help reduce waste and tackle the climate emergency.
Justin Dampney, Eco’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Our plans are specifically designed to help solve the acute waste challenge facing Dorset, supporting local authority strategies to reduce the amount of waste produced, champion even more recycling and recover the energy from waste leftover after recycling.
“We’re proposing a significant investment in green infrastructure that will play an important role in addressing the climate emergency declared by both Dorset and BCP Councils and contribute towards the national goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions.”
The scheme is expected to create ten permanent full-time jobs while offering construction and maintenance opportunities for local contractors.