There is “no alternative” to sending city’s waste to Teesside incinerator
Council bosses in Newcastle have warned there is “no alternative” to controversial plans to send much of the city’s waste to an incinerator on Teesside. It comes after the council’s cabinet dismissed a vote by the city council to exit a 40-year contract for the site.
Known as Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF), the rubbish burner could burn up to 450,000 tonnes of waste every year from seven of the region’s councils. Critics say it would harm efforts to increase recycling, while there are also concerns about the environmental impact and cost.
But speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of the city council, deputy leader Coun Alex Hay warned there was “no alternative” to the system. It followed a question from Lib Dem councillor Gareth Kane, who demanded to know why the cabinet had ‘ignored the will of council’ and proceeded with the project.
Coun Hay said: “The council’s vision in our waste strategy is clear – Newcastle is a clean, green city that wastes less and recycles more. We’re committed to increasing recycling, reducing waste and sending as little as possible to landfill.
“Newcastle’s population is rapidly growing. Between 2011 and 2021, more than 20,000 new residents made ur city their home. That is the largest percentage increase in the north east and above the national average.
“This growth is built into our waste forecasts. The TVERF has been designed with this in mind.
“It takes in account our plans to collect food waste separately and increase recycling. But even with these improvements there will always be some residual waste.
“We are not ‘feeding the beast’ – we are responsibility planning how to manage Newcastle’s waste while at the same time working to ensure residents waste less and recycle more. The opposition oppose TVERF but present no alternative.
“Their proposal is to gamble on short-term contracts with higher costs in the hope a new technology for recycling residual waste will emerge in the next five to 10 years.
“Such technology doesn’t exist. The options today are the same as they were in 2019 when we joined the TVERF project.
“We cannot gamble with taxpayer’s money or our city’s future. We need a solution now. The TVERF provides that solution – it is safe and reliable.
“Withdrawing would be reckless and expose the council to higher costs. There is no alternative, the TVERF is the only option for residents and the council.”
Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton are the seven councils involved in the incinerator project, for which Viridor was recently confirmed as the chosen operator.
Coun Kane questioned whether the council was confident it would meet Government-imposed targets on recycling levels.
He said: “The Government set this target for 65% recycling by 2035. Coun Hay has talked about increasing recycling, which wouldn’t be difficult from the low level we have at the moment.
“What level does he expect to get to? Will we ever reach the target over the lifetime of the TVERF project?”
Coun Hay replied: “We’re going to do everything we can to increase recycling rates across the city.”
The TVERF is scheduled to open in 2029 and it is said that it would generate enough electricity to power 60,000 homes, as well as saving nearly 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year compared to landfill.