South West Devon Waste Partnership

The South West Devon Waste Partnership (SWDWP) is a collaboration between Plymouth City Council, Devon County Council and Torbay Council. The Partnership was formally established in 2008 under a joint working agreement approved by each of the three councils.

We first came together as a partnership in 2007 to look at the issue of waste and specifically residual waste. Residual waste is the waste that is left once all efforts to reduce and recycle have taken place.

Our aim was to provide a reliable, economic and proven solution to divert residual waste from landfill within the Partnership boundary, reducing our carbon impact and ideally providing combined heat and power.

The Partnership Boundary

Why was this needed?

At the time of forming the SWDWP, the Partnership’s residual waste was being delivered to landfill however available space was running out as landfills across the partnership area were closing. In addition it is widely accepted that land filling is environmentally damaging and due to European Legislation, it has become an increasingly expensive method of waste disposal.

The solution

We looked at all the options to manage our waste, before undertaking a procurement which resulted in an ‘Energy from Waste (EfW)’ facility at Devonport, based next to North Yard. MVV Environment Ltd was awarded the contract to build and operate the 245,000 tonne facility. Planning permission was granted in 2011 with construction commencing in 2012 and completing in 2015 following a successful commissioning period. The facility began accepting waste from the Partnership in April 2015 and reached full Service Commencement in September 2015. For current news and more information about the facility, including frequently asked questions and emission data, please visit the MVV Environment Ltd website.

Contact the partnership

We're keen to provide as much information as possible about the project. If you would like more information or have a query please contact us.

Address: SWDWP, Devonport EfW CHP Facility, Creek Road, Plymouth PL5 1FL

Tel: 01752 393157
Email: jointwastepfi@plymouth.gov.uk