What new facilities will be built in north London?
We are in the middle of a procurement process which is based upon an output specification meaning that we have detailed the performance we expect the bidders to meet, but have not dictated how they should do this, i.e. what facilities they should build. The reference project (see process questions for information on reference projects) in our Outline Business Case (OBC) showed that our requirements could be met by:
- a substantial upgrade of existing ‘Household Waste Recycling Centres’ (HWRC's - sometimes called ’civic amenity’sites) and by providing up to four new centres across north London;
- a new materials recycling facility to sort metal, plastics, glass, paper and cardboard so that they can be recycled;
- composting and anaerobic digestion facilities (anaerobic digestion is the process that turns biodegradable waste into biogas which can be used to create electricity);
- two mechanical biological treatment plants to treat waste which cannot be recycled to create Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF);
- a combined heat and power plant to utilise the SRF instead of fossil fuels; and
- a sustainable transport solution involving rail and/ or water transport.
As a guide for residents we have put together a booklet which provides images and information about modern waste facilities. A copy of the booklet is available here.Since the OBC was produced for our procurement we have announced LINK the three possible locations for the proposed power plants that are being put forward by the fuel use bidders to burn the SRF; none of the locations is in north London.
Why were those specific facilities put forward over others?
An in-depth analysis of the different options for managing waste in north London was carried out (see section 4 of the OBC). A wide variety of possible approaches were considered including 'do minimum,' incineration solutions, a variety of Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) processes and higher recycling options.
Nineteen different options or ‘scenarios’ were reviewed .These options were subjected to analysis which assessed factors including performance, cost, sustainability, nuisance and risk. For a full list of assessment criteria used for the options analysis please refer to the OBC.
The reference project that was chosen was the one that came out strongest in the analysis, providing the best prospect for a sustainable and cost effective solution.
Where can I find out more about different types of waste facility?
As a guide we have put together a booklet which provides images and information about modern waste facilities, including MBT.A copy of the booklet is available here (your Guide to Waste Disposal).