A burning desire for rubbish: The power plant dealing with our waste

An energy plant reducing the amount of waste in Lincolnshire going to landfill is playing an important role during the current chilly spell.

About 170,000 tonnes of residual household and commercial waste from across the county is now treated each year at the Energy from Waste (EfW) facility at North Hykeham, near Lincoln, which opened in 2013.

Lincolnshire County Council and FCC Environment – which has a 25-year residual waste contract with the council – say it produces enough energy for around 26,500 homes.
Key additional power is being provided to the local grid which will help battle the effects of the cold as residents turn their heating up a notch.

FCC says: “As one of the few alternatives to landfill, general waste can be sent to an EfW facility to generate steam from burning the waste and turning it into electricity that is then used to heat nearby homes and businesses.
“The burning of waste and turning it into energy also greatly reduces the reliance of fossil fuels to supply energy needs to nearby homes and businesses.”

The firm says combustion gases generated from these processes are treated prior to being released, and emissions are continuously monitored and regularly checked by the Environment Agency to ensure they are in line with EU regulations.

The county council and FCC are urging more people to find out more about the new technology at the site’s visitor centre, which provides educational tours of the plant and are ideal for schools, colleges and community groups.
FCC Environment general manager Juergen Schaper said: “When the temperature drops we use additional power to keep our homes warm and this doesn’t happen by magic.
“The technology we have in place here is making a real difference and providing fast-paced energy generation.
“So we would urge people to come and pay a visit to our interactive visitor centre and learn more about Energy from Waste, where our power comes from more generally and about how your household waste can contribute to keeping homes warm.”

South Holland District Council takes the waste it collects to a transfer station at Boston. The county council then bulks up all residual waste from South Holland and Boston and hauls it up to North Hykeham.
All authorities in Lincolnshire are directed by the county council, which decides where to send it.