The seven north London boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey and Islington and Waltham Forest have this week reaffirmed their “ongoing and complete support” for the North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP).
The boroughs are all members of the North London Waste Authority and the project will see the replacement of the dated 500,000 tonnes per annum energy from waste plant at Edmonton with a 700,000 tonne plant with the heat used locally.
Opposition includes a potential legal challenge (see letsrecycle.com story) and ongoing criticism from the Extinction Rebellion pressure group.
Image of the proposed new plant from the River Lea
A letter was issued on 21 April which was signed by each borough in response to a request from Extinction Rebellion that the project be paused, with the boroughs writing that they are “emphatically clear that pausing the project would undermine major efforts to tackle the Climate Emergency”.
They explained that the project is a “major asset for north London’s communities, delivering vital public investment in recycling infrastructure and preventing hugely environmentally damaging increases in landfill use in the future”.
Responsibility
In the letter it was stated: “The prime responsibility for councillors serving the public is to provide responsible, effective solutions which protect communities from social, health and environmental risks. North London’s boroughs are clear that the NLHPP meets exactly these requirements.
“The project is a major investment in sustainable waste infrastructure for the future. It was approved by the Government in 2017 after extensive consultation with local communities. The project will deliver a state-of-the-art resource recovery facility – the most modern in the UK – as well as a brand-new public reuse and recycling centre, together with safe and reliable technology for treating non-recyclable waste. The new Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) will safeguard against landfill use in the future. It will treat non-recyclable waste as a resource for society – generating low-carbon heat and power for up to 127,000 homes.”
MBT
The boroughs noted that Extinction Rebellion had proposed alternative ways for treating the non-recyclable waste produced by north London’s two million residents, including Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT).
The councils remarked that “MBT is unproven, unreliable, and beset with high-profile and costly failures across the UK and ultimately still creates a fuel that is burnt in an ERF facility. It would simply be irresponsible to take such a reckless gamble with the delivery of essential services for north Londoners.”
Cllr Clyde Loakes has called on Extinction Rebellion to work with the NLWA
Referencing the COVID-19 pandemic, the authorities said that this “has reinforced the fundamental importance to society of safe and reliable waste services. The existing plant at Edmonton EcoPark is now working around the clock for north London’s residents to safely dispose of their waste. Pausing the NLHPP, which will replace the existing plant by 2025, would pose unacceptable risks to the public. The COVID-19 crisis has also clearly demonstrated just how much our residents are still failing to recycle and reuse on their doorstep, but instead continue to overuse and rely on the residual waste bins, infrastructure capacity and services that they can readily access.”
Common interest
Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of NLWA says, “We call on Extinction Rebellion to work with the NLWA and the boroughs in areas of common interest, such as the vital practical and campaigning work to reduce waste and increase recycling for the benefit of the planet and future generations. Supporting and encouraging our residents is an area where we could be working together to focus minds and secure much needed behaviour change”.
Cllr Jon Burke, Hackney council cabinet member for energy, waste, transport and public realm, said: “While Hackney Council is taking significant action to reduce the amount of black bag waste we send to incineration, we also recognise the important role that the new energy from waste plant will play in generating the equivalent annual electricity of more than 120,000 homes and eliminating the uncontrolled cocktail of powerful greenhouse gases associated with landfill.
“We also recognise the important role that the new energy from waste plant will play”
“By undertaking coordinated efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste; extracting valuable energy from non-recyclable material; and continuing to explore offsetting and capturing the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the plant, the North London Waste Authority is creating a model for the progressively decarbonised waste system we desperately require.”
Pre-construction
With regard to the new project, the North London Waste Authority said that “despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the NLWA is making significant achievements in continuing to deliver the NLHPP. While early pre-construction works have been temporarily paused to uphold the safety of the workforce, digital solutions are being harnessed to ensure major procurement activities continue unaffected. This includes the upcoming appointment of a main contractor to deliver the new recycling facilities, as well as the launch of the procurement for the world-class ERF. ”
A statement from Extinction Rebellion has been requested by letsrecycle.com.
Related link
The boroughs’ letter to Extinction Rebellion is available HERE.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
