Frequent concerns

As a result of many roadshows, exhibitions and general discussions the partnership is aware that the public have a number of concerns primarily centred around the following themes:

• Health
• Security
• Traffic
• Ash
• Recycling
• Democratic process

Health

The partnership is very clear about the safety record of energy from waste and its impact on health.

The Health Protection Agency, which is responsible for public health in England, concluded, "…the weight of evidence from studies so far indicates that present day practice for managing solid municipal waste has, at most, a minor effect on human health and the environment, particularly when compared to other everyday activities."

Energy from waste facilities are one of the most highly regulated industrial processes in the UK and companies are required by law to continually monitor emission levels. Once in operation, an energy from waste facility must conform to the Waste Incineration Directive, which was incorporated into English law through the Waste Incineration (England and Wales) Regulations 2002. This sets strict limits on the quantities of any emissions a thermal waste treatment plant may produce.

There are reports and papers that claim to link incineration with harmful or ill effects, but despite extensive research, none of these claims have been scientifically substantiated. In many cases, these papers are out of date and do not refer to modern, state of the art energy from waste technology.

Dioxins are a particular source of public concern and subject to many misunderstandings. They are a part of everyday activity, produced through cooking, heating and burning fossil fuels amongst other things. Modern energy from waste plants minimise dioxin formation through their processes. MVV Umwelt have assessed dioxin emissions from their facility and they will be around five per cent of the allowable safe limit.

A thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been carried out for the North Yard site as part of the planning application and permitting process. Detailed air quality modelling considers the exact location and weather conditions to demonstrate that the proposed plant is safe, and that any emissions will be dispersed adequately in all potential scenarios. This air quality model will be checked and approved by the Environment Agency prior to an operating permit being issued.

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Security

Both the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and MVV Environment Ltd will have to satisfy the relevant authorities that there are thorough safeguards in place to reduce the risks of incident or breach of security.

Prior to the site being offered to MVV, the MOD and its specialist assessors reviewed the potential security and safety issues that might emerge from locating the facility at the Dockyard. Additionally, the MOD has carried out its own internal and statutory risk assessments to ensure that its operations will not be affected.

MVV have designed the facility so as not to interfere with or compromise the Naval Base's security arrangements and the MOD have the right to review any aspects of the design that might affect security. In addition, MVV will have their own security arrangements in place for their site.

The MVV facility will also have technical safeguards and fail-safes within the plant design to guard against any unexpected pressure releases and other unexpected events. Energy from waste plants have been successfully operated around the world for over 50 years and have been located in many major cities without incident.

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Traffic

The site at North Yard is well connected to the primary road network. The St Budeaux bypass is the main access route to the naval base and has been designed to accommodate heavy goods vehicles and large volumes of traffic. The bypass also links directly to the A38, the major trunk road for the south west Devon area.

As part of the planning process, MVV have assessed the likely traffic impacts and will identify any necessary changes to the local road network and propose mitigation measures with planners if required. The planning process will also look into peak traffic patterns and may restrict waste traffic movements at these times. The Environment Agency and Health Protection Agency will also be involved to assess any possible implications for air quality as a result of such a development.

It should be recognised that waste collection vehicles are already operating around the streets of Plymouth. The A38 is used to transport Plymouth's and some of Devon's waste to a landfill site in Cornwall. The facility will therefore reduce the city's waste miles and the amount of waste vehicle movements on the A38 and into Cornwall overall.

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Ash

There are two forms of ash produced from the energy from waste process: bottom ash and fly ash. The bulk of the ash is a non-toxic bottom ash made up of things that do not burn such as rubble, glass and metals. This ash will be sent off site for processing with metals recovered for recycling.

It is intended to use the recycled ash as a secondary aggregate and it can be gainfully used for earthworks, reclamation, low grade concrete and road building. There are a number of facilities in the UK that recycle 100 per cent of their bottom ash and MVV is confident it can deliver a comparable service.

Fly ash is the smaller component and is classed as hazardous because of its high alkaline level. This alkalinity is due to the chemicals added to remove pollutants from the exhaust gases. Fly ash can be used in the chemical industry to neutralise acids. It will be removed from the site in sealed containers and disposed of in a dedicated facility outside the South West. This ash is not classified as toxic.

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Recycling

Any energy from waste facility forms part of the established hierarchy for dealing with waste:

• Reduce the quantity of waste produced
• Reuse material where possible
• Recycle
• Recover energy
• Landfill

Improved waste reduction and increased recycling is an ongoing process and remains a priority for the waste partnership. However, there is a practical limit to what can be effectively and economically recycled. Opportunities for reuse of municipal waste are more limited - mainly to recovering items from the recycling centres.

The partnership has calculated its future residual waste tonnage on the basis that the authorities will continue to improve recycling rates until they are over 50 per cent across the partnership overall by 2020. In addition, consideration has been given to future local population trends, which are predicted to rise.

The partnership has incorporated as much flexibility as possible within the contract arrangements to ensure that the waste hierarchy is adhered to and that future reuse and recycling will not be compromised. Our potential energy from waste solution intends to treat only the residual waste that is not being processed through waste minimisation and recycling initiatives.

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Democratic process

Each authority produced a waste development plan which is local to their area that looks at how waste could be managed in the future, including the types of technology available, possible sites, cost and environmental factors. Following an appraisal of available options, each strategy independently concluded that a thermal waste to energy solution would be the preferred solution to manage the residual waste that is not reused or recycled. Further details including copies of each authority's waste plan are available below:

• Waste Development Plan Document - Plymouth
• Waste Development Documents - Devon
• Waste Management Strategy - Torbay

These documents were adopted by each authority having firstly reviewed the available options and consulted a range of stakeholders. Each strategy recommended a local energy from waste solution, working in partnership with neighbouring councils if possible.

The partner councils (Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council) produced an Outline Business Case (OBC) that highlighted energy from waste as a preferred solution. Each partner council approved the business case in April 2008.

The OBC set out project cost estimates and established a financial affordability limit approved by each Council which the final tendered solution would be measured against. It was agreed that the location and type of scheme would be determined through the procurement process.

A Joint Working Agreement (JWA) was put forward at the same time setting out governance arrangements for the Partnership. It delegated various decisions to the Partnership's Councillor Joint Committee and Partnership Officer Project Executive. The document was signed by each Council in April 2008 and is legally binding, as the consequences of any council withdrawing could be significant for the remaining councils.

The JWA stipulated that the Final Business Case (FBC) would be submitted to the partner councils for approval once a successful bidder had been selected through the procurement process. Approval of the FBC could only be withheld on affordability grounds if any council's share of the total cost exceeded that set out in the Outline Business Case.

We are keen to provide as much information as possible about the whole process. If you would like more information, or have a question that isn't on our frequently asked questions (FAQ) page, please contact us.

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