By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Campaigners say there is “exceptionally strong local opposition” to an application for a new Worksop plant which would break down plastic waste.
Plans have been lodged to build a pyrolysis facility on the site of a previous recycling centre, which burned down in a fire in 2014.
Pyrolysis is the process of extracting elements which make up plastic at very high temperatures so they can be used again.
The developer says this will be the “answer to Nottinghamshire’s plastic waste problem”, and will stop 24,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste from going to landfill each year. It also says the site will create energy, and help to power hundreds of homes.
However, people opposed to the plan say the industrial area has become residential over the last decade, and the plans no longer make sense.
The Shireoaks and Rhodesia Against Plastic Pyrolysis (SRAPP) campaign group say they are concerned about the emissions an impact on the area, saying they will put up “the fiercest of fights”.
Member Lesley Rowlands said: “Although we desperately hoped that the company had changed their minds about progressing with their plans given the exceptionally strong local opposition to it, we had been preparing for the worst-case scenario – that they would continue to go ahead with it regardless of our adamant objections.
“It’s time to put all of our efforts in to action and show them that this is definitely not going to be accepted within our community and that we will not stop until this application has been rejected by Nottinghamshire County Council.
“This isn’t the right location. In 2014, it was an industrial area but everything’s changed since then – now there are homes and green spaces. It will also bring more traffic, noise and air pollution for people living nearby.”
They hope to convince at least 1,500 local people to object.
A member of the Shireoaks Plastic Recycling Centre & Energy Recovery Facility project team said: “The development will allow the site to modernise and operate once again as a Materials Recovery Facility and Waste Transfer Station, whilst providing on-site solutions to residual waste – reducing export requirements, providing a proximate solution to plastic and other residual waste arisings, improving resource circularity and driving waste management up the waste hierarchy from disposal to recycling and recovery.
“The Shireoaks Plastics Recycling Centre will recover and recycle hydrocarbons from residual waste plastic, which due to contamination, composite structure or low output value have been rejected by traditional mechanical recycling methods and would otherwise be transferred to energy recovery facilities or landfill.
“The Energy Recovery Facility will prevent to 24,369 tonnes per annum of non-recyclable, residual waste from going to landfill and will generate up to 10 Megawatts of heat and 2.5 Megawatts of electricity – enough to power over 650 homes every year. The facilities are an answer to Nottinghamshire’s plastic and residual waste problem.
“This is a carefully considered proposal, supported by robust environmental technical assessments which have been scoped following pre-application discussions with Nottinghamshire County Council and the local community. We look forward to working with the technical experts at the council who will now evaluate the proposals”.
SRAPP are holding a demonstration on Saturday, June 22 at 1pm at the site entrance.
The application is currently open for public comments on Nottinghamshire County Council’s website.
