UPDATE March 4th. 2015
On March 15th.2015, there is an obligation upon Material Works to show, to the Borough Council, that progress has been made with the contract for the disposal of 'black bin' waste.
Concerns have been expressed by councillors at the rate of progress, which, to date, has been very slow; extensions to the contract have been granted to Material Works to allow the company to show progress.
Material Works' scheme is to turn the waste into some form of plastic material that would have a variety of uses.
See the latest about the County Council plans here
JANUARY 2015.
tHE COUNTY COUNCIL terminated the contract with Cory Wheelabrator and paid penalty fees of about £40,000,000.
The Council also decided that for the future there would be no incineration of waste in Norfolk.
Subsequently, Cory Wheelabrator withdrew the planning application for the plant and the matter would now seem to be closed.
However, there continues to be a problem seeking a solution - what is to be done with Norfolk's waste?
Since December 2012, King's Lynn & West Norfolk Council has held a contract with 'Material Works' for the disposal of waste - (see more about this below - November / December 2012 updates)
Material Works has an obligation to prove, by the Spring of 2015, that its scheme to deal with the waste is viable; the plan is to turn it into some form of plastic material that would have a variety of uses.
Meantime, black bin waste is being carried to Suffolk for disposal - by incineration!
UPDATE - 15 December 2012
West Norfolk Borough Council has signed a contract with Material Works, effective from April 2014, for 35,000 tonnes/per annum of waste materials, both household and commercial, to be processed and recycled into products for the use of the building and construction industries. This will account for about 90% of West Norfolk's waste.
Material Works will fund the plant, with no advance payments required from the borough council.
Once the plant is operational, the borough will pay charges at a rate per tonne of material processed.
It is hoped that the plant could become operational in 2014. The construction is subject to planning approval being given by the County Council. Several sites in the area are being considered for the construction of the plant.
Meanwhile, the public inquiry concerning the County Councils planned incinerator at Saddlewbow is due to commence early in the new year.
UPDATE - 5 December 2012
It is reported that at a meeting held on 29 November, the Borough Council agreed to enter into a conditional contract to re-cycle the majority of 'black bin' waste from April 2014.
Waste material, both domestic and commercial, will be processed and made into a range of products for industrial use.
The Borough Council has told the County Council that it will cease sending waste to the county for disposal. It has been suggested that this action could affect the case for the proposed incinerator at Saddlebow.
Before the vote to proceed with the re-cycling scheme was taken, an amendment to a clause, which would allow the operating company to accept waste from other authorities, was proposed. It was said that West Norfolk did not want to have to deal with waste from elsewhere in the county; additional plants could be built in other areas, by different authorities, to handle their local waste.
UPDATE - 3 November 2012
West Norfolk Council cabinet members have recently agreed to recommend that the Borough Council should adopt the proposal to enter into agreement with Material Works to recycle 'black bin' waste. The cabinet also proposes that the Borough Council should inform the County Council that it intends to deal with 'black bin' waste in this manner, and not to send it for incineration.
After cardboard, glass, metal, batteries etc are removed from the waste, the remaining material will be re-cycled and used in a range of industrial products. In this way most black bin waste will be recycled, a significant increase in the amount of waste that would otherwise be recycled.
A recent independent survey, and drop-in sessions in October, have indicated public support for this scheme.
A decision on whether or not to proceed will be taken by the Borough Council at a meeting to be held on Thursday November 29th 2012.
As an alternative to the planned incinerator, the Borough Council is currently proposing to press ahead with a new technology which could lead to most of the borough’s general waste being recycled.
See below a letter addressed to the Parish Council from the Borough Council concerning this matter; Feedback is to be sought on proposals for new recycling technology.
The letter gives details of 'Drop In' sessions to be held around the borough and of an open meeting at the Town Hall on 11October.
Ray Harding
Chief Executive
King’s Lynn and West
Norfolk Borough Council
25th September 2012
To whom it may concern,
Re: Feedback sought on proposals for new recycling technology
The borough council is currently proposing to press ahead with a new technology
which could lead to most of the borough’s general waste being recycled.
This ground-breaking technology, which has been developed by consortium Material
Works, processes general waste from black bins into an inert, safe, strong and long-
lasting extruded material which can be used for hard landscaping, construction,
pallets and packaging. Negotiations are currently ongoing between the Borough
Council and Material Works and it is anticipated that the Borough Council's cabinet
members will be asked to make a decision regarding proceeding with the contract
later next month.
In the meantime, to help inform that decision, the Borough Council is seeking
feedback from local people about the proposal and as such we invite you to be
involved in the following ways:
Public drop-in sessions:
Members of the public will be able to attend the following public drop in sessions to
find out more about the proposed recycling technology:
- Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 12.30pm to 7pm - Hunstanton Community Centre,
Hunstanton
- Friday, 5 October 2012, 12.30pm to 7pm - Downham Market Town Hall, Bridge
Street, Downham Market
- Thursday, 11 October 2012, 12.30pm to 5.15pm - Borough Council offices, King's
Court, Chapel Street, King's Lynn
Open meeting:
You are also invited to attend an open meeting starting at 7pm at the town hall in
King's Lynn on Thursday, 11 October 2012.
We recognise that how waste is dealt with when it comes to recycling and disposal
is important to people and that parish councils have expressed clear concerns
about the proposed incineration of waste. Therefore we want people to have the
opportunity to express their views on this proposed new technology, as individuals
and as community representatives, so that this feedback can help inform cabinet before their meeting on 30th October 2012.
King’s Court, Chapel Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1EX
Tel: (01553) 616200; fax: (01553) 691663
DX 57825 KING’S LYNN
Chief Executive – Ray Harding
Deputy Chief Executive – David Thomason
Yours faithfully,
Cllr Brian Long
Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community