Frequently asked questions
Why is this facility needed?
Historically most of the household waste in the UK has been landfilled, as this has long been the cheapest and easiest way of disposing of it. However, European and national statutory targets now compel local authorities to find more environmentally-friendly waste management alternatives. In 2007, West Sussex households produced around 450,000 tonnes of rubbish and this is forecast to increase to 650,000 tonnes by 2030. Yet by 2020, the County Council will only be allowed to landfill 130,000 tonnes of household waste a year and could be heavily fined if it exceeds this target. Local authorities are therefore now urgently considering how best to treat their non-recycled rubbish as a resource and extract value from it, rather than simply sending it to landfill.
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Why do Biffa want to build it at Brookhurst Wood?
Biffa has owned and managed the site for over twenty years and the site already disposes of West Sussex’s non-recycled household waste. These latest proposals will allow Biffa to continue to meet the County’s waste management needs at Brookhurst Wood over the coming decades in a more environmentally-friendly way.
The site is well suited to this use and has existing landfill capacity, as well as space to develop Biffa’s proposed MBT facility, and associated infrastructure. Both West Sussex County Council and Horsham District Council recognise the suitability of Brookhurst Wood for new waste management facilities and the site is included in the District and County development frameworks for waste management.
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Why do Biffa need to submit a new planning application? Didn’t it receive approval to develop a new waste management facility?
In April 2008 West Sussex County Council’s Planning Committee approved Biffa’s planning application to extend the existing landfill capacity at Brookhurst Wood and to construct a commercial MBT facility there.
In September 2008, Biffa was appointed by West Sussex County Council as Preferred Bidder for its Materials Resource Management Contract. This is a 25-year contract for the treatment of non-recycled household waste in the County. Because of this, Biffa has revised its former proposals for the commercial facility at Brookhurst Wood, so that it can provide a tailored solution for West Sussex’s non-recycled household waste.
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Are these proposals very different to those contained within the planning application that was approved in 2008?
The core principles of the proposals remain the same, although some minor changes have been made. These relate to the layout and design of the MBT facility.
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What is MBT?
This is not a single technology, but rather a combination of sorting and treatment technologies. Biffa’s proposed MBT facility has the potential to bring major benefits to West Sussex, by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill by up to a massive 80 per cent and using waste to produce valuable environmentally-friendly fuels. This in turn will help West Sussex to avoid the increasing financial penalties levied on waste sent to landfill and reduce the carbon emissions produced in processing the County’s waste.
MBT is a proven and reliable way of handling waste and Biffa operates similar facilities to that proposed for Brookhurst Wood in Leicester and on the Isle of Wight, and the specific technology proposed is used on a number of sites in Germany. Biffa anticipates that the facility will be able to serve West Sussex’s needs for 25-years.
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What will happen to the Refuse Derived Fuel if businesses do not want to buy it?
If markets are not available for the Refuse Derived Fuel, the Materials Resource Management Contract will trigger the development of a bespoke Gasification plant at Brookhurst Wood to thermally treat the Refuse Derived Fuel, producing heat and power to supply local industry, and a planning application would then be brought forward for this. This application would not be for a mass burn incinerator. Should this plant go ahead, the amount of traffic generated by the site would significantly reduce, as up to 150,000 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel would no longer need to be exported from the site each year.
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Which homes will benefit from the biomass fuel produced from the digestate?
Since May 2008 new build homes have been rated against the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes, which measures the environmental sustainability of new homes using a 1 to 6 star rating system. The Code sets minimum standards for energy use at each level and also seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Homes that receive energy from a renewable resource will receive a higher rating than homes that take energy from a conventional source. Against this background, Biffa is proposing that the fine organic material produced by the anaerobic digestion process at Brookhurst Wood would be dried to create a biomass fuel. This biomass fuel would be environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels and could be used to supply one of the new housing developments proposed for West Sussex with energy and heating.
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How will the impacts of the facility be controlled?
The facility has been designed to protect local amenity and be a good neighbour to nearby homes and businesses:
- Waste will be processed in an enclosed environment with air extraction systems, filters and sound proofing to contain odours and noise.
- The facility will fully comply with all environmental standards.
- No sorting, recycling or treatment of waste will take place in the open air.
- Biffa will appoint a Community Liaison Officer and hold regular Brookhurst Wood Site Liaison Group meetings to ensure the local community is keptinformed of operations on the site and has the opportunity to ask questions and raise any concerns directly with Biffa.
- Biffa will also set up a dedicated website that will provide the community with regularly updated information about the facility and a further means of contacting Biffa.
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