Press release - 01 Sep 2009

SITA Cornwall to appeal Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre (CERC) decision in September

Cornwall Council's recycling and waste management contractor, SITA Cornwall, can confirm that it will lodge an appeal later this month against the refusal of planning permission dated 31st March 2009 for the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre (CERC), a proposed energy-from-waste facility to manage residual household waste in the county.

In line with the contract, SITA Cornwall has received written consent from Cornwall Council to institute proceedings.

David Buckle, Project Director at SITA UK, said: “Although Cornwall is recycling more waste than ever, it is anticipated that there will still be more than 200,000 tonnes of residual household waste, and at least the same tonnage of commercial and industrial waste, to dispose of each year. This is a problem that won’t go away.

“Landfill sites in Cornwall could be full by 2014, which means that within five years the county would have to start exporting waste by lorry to landfill sites in other parts of the country. When you add the fact that landfill tax, currently £40 per tonne is increasing by £8 per tonne every year until 2013, it’s clear that Cornwall residents cannot carry the financial burden that this would bring.

“There is an urgent need for this facility to avoid a waste management crisis and to provide a modern waste management solution for the whole county in which we produce energy from non-recycled waste, rather than landfill it.

“We understand why some people may question why we are appealing the decision that was made in March, however, the CERC is a good fit with the Waste Local Plan and is in accordance with national policies which seek to divert waste from landfill and encourage energy recovery.

“We still have the same opinion that permission should be granted and this opinion was also expressed in the planning officer’s report to Committee. Also, the planning application was subject to exhaustive scrutiny which ultimately demonstrated that the CERC proposal is the best solution for Cornwall.

“The decision will now be made by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate through a public inquiry. We anticipate that the inquiry will be held in the first half of 2010. In the meantime we will continue to work closely with the community as we go through the appeal process.”

The Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre would take waste that would otherwise be landfilled and would recover energy from the waste, producing sufficient electricity to power the equivalent of approximately 21,000 homes. Heat can also be provided to nearby industry, thus reducing reliance on fossil fuels by the China clay industry.