Renewable waste plans move ahead

Plans to increase the amount of waste recycled or converted into energy have moved ahead with major contracts being awarded by Wiltshire County Council.

Two waste management contracts worth £300m over 25 years were granted to Hills Group.

A treatment plant is to be built in Westbury to convert 30,000 tonnes of refuse into renewable energy by 2008.

A further 50,000 tonnes would be moved from the Salisbury district to an energy plant being built near Slough.

Negotiations and tenders for this landfill diversion project have lasted more than a year.

'No choice'

The county council's Cabinet has given the green light to tenders from the Marlborough-based Hills Group, provided agreement can be reached on outstanding details.

More than 30% of Wiltshire household waste is recycled, with the remainder buried in landfill at Compton Bassett near Calne.

Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire County Council cabinet member for planning and waste said: "Moving away from landfill is something we all have to do. There are no longer any choices."

Wiltshire is one of a number of local authorities that will benefit from the energy generated by the Colnbrook plant, which is expected to put out some 31.6 megawatts of power for the national grid - enough to serve 32,000 households.