Green power plant gets go-ahead

The plant will reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by 54%

Plans have been approved for a new power plant which will convert household rubbish into electricity.

The plant, one of only a few of its kind, will convert 18,000 tonnes of waste into enough electricity for 2,000 homes each year.

It will work by heating the rubbish until it turns into a gas, which will then be used to generate electricity.

The plant is to be built at the Seamer Carr landfill site near Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

Emissions monitored

It is not yet known how many jobs will be created.

North Yorkshire County Council, which approved the plans, said the plant would take about 54% of household waste generated by communities in the Scarborough and Ryedale districts.

Gordon Gresty, the council's director of environmental services, said: "This is one of a number of new technologies being introduced to reduce the amount of waste material which gets buried in the earth."

The application was approved with a number of conditions. They include a stipulation that noise levels should be kept below 55 decibels and there will be continuous monitoring to ensure that emissions are within acceptable limits.