Councils set to lodge plan for domestic waste burner

PLANS are set to be lodged within weeks for a huge waste incinerator which would heat homes by burning Edinburgh and Midlothian's rubbish.

The two councils are expected to submit a planning application next month detailing proposals to convert a former railyard at the Monktonhall colliery in Midlothian, which was bought for 2 million last year.

The move comes as campaigners gear up for a public inquiry into plans for a 7m waste transfer depot at Portobello.

Private firm Viridor lodged a last-minute appeal with the Scottish Government last year after the city council rejected its application to build on a former freightliner terminal off Sir Harry Lauder Road.

The Midlothian incinerator, which is likely to cost up to half a billion pounds over the next 25 to 30 years, would produce electricity or heat through the energy released during the burning of waste.

The plant would process up to 200,000 tonnes of waste a year, and a series of public consultation events will continue with an event at Danderhall Community Centre, Newtonchurch Road, on 26 January.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, Edinburgh's environment leader, said: "We already place a high priority on reduction, reuse and recycling as this is very important for the environment, but we now need to look at recovering value from what is left.

"This means taking the waste that usually gets sent to landfill, removing as much additional recyclable materials as possible and treating the remainder of it so it can be used to create fuel, heat or energy. I would encourage anyone with an interest to come along to this event so you can see what types of facilities could be built and to see what the site looks like now."

Meanwhile, the public inquiry into Viridor's proposals for the waste plant at Portobello are set to go before a Scottish Government reporter from 8 February.

Frances Wraith, a member of the campaign group Portobello Opposes New Garbage Site (Pongs), said the depot would be an "utter disaster" for the area.

She added: "There are many objections, including increased traffic, the loss of a local amenity and impact on a conservation area.

"At every level the plans appear problematic and there is real concern in the community."

Viridor said it was working to address local concerns about the plant, which would create 25 jobs and would be fully enclosed.

By 2025 Scottish Government targets rule that 70 per cent of municipal waste will have to be composted and recycled, and no more than 5 per cent put into landfill.

Environmental protesters say energy from waste plants causes unacceptable releases of carbon dioxide, but the two authorities say it is preferable to the methane released into the atmosphere by landfill sites.