Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The centre would be built on an existing landfill site and could eventually generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 10,000 homes and with the energy equivalent of around 45,000 tonnes of coal from the rubbish currently sent to landfill.

Northampton-based waste management specialist, WRG, will begin full consultation on the centre in the New Year and expects to submit a planning application next summer with final permission targeted for the end of 2006, beginning of 2007.

The site is based at the Longwater Industrial Estate, near Costessey on the outskirts of Norwich, and is already used by WRG for waste management.

Currently some two-thirds of Norfolk rubbish left after recycling goes straight to landfill.

The contract will focus on reducing this reliance on landfill, increasing recycling and using left over rubbish to generate energy.

The aims of the new centre are to provide: A new recycyling centre able to handle up to 15,000 tonnes a year of materials; a new energy centre to recover value in the form of energy from remaining waste; total capacity of the site will be 150,000 tonnes a year.

Norfolk County Council is letting contracts for residual waste in two phases. This is phase one and provides capacity for half of the county’s residual waste.

The focus is on reducing reliance on landfill for waste left after recycling and makes provision for that residual waste to be used to generate energy.

Chris Cox, commercial director for WRG, said: "We are really looking forward to the challenge of helping Norfolk to reduce landfill and increase recycling and recovery.

"We can provide facilities which will be among the best in the country and will complement recycling at the same time as generating electricity.

"An important part of the new facilities will be a visitor centre, where we can raise awareness around waste resources and the environment.

"In addition to increasing recycling we will be bringing forward proposals for an Energy from Waste facility. Energy from Waste is a safe and proven technology used in the UK and Europe to manage rubbish and as a way of reducing landfill.

"The proposed plant will be regulated to the strictest environmental standards Europe has ever had and, before it can be operated, will be rigorously considered by the Environment Agency and others to ensure it is safe and acceptable.

"WRG is committed to operating the facility to the highest standards."

WRG is one of the leading waste management services and energy recovery companies in the UK.

Each year it receives, recycles and disposes of more than 15 million tonnes of household, commercial and industrial waste.

The firm also generates more renewable energy from waste than any other UK waste management company and operates facilities for: Waste reception, treatment, recycling and transfer; composting; energy from waste; and landfill.