With Dorset and BCP Councils having declared a climate emergency, a race is underway to reduce our carbon footprint as quickly as possible. Recycling and renewable energy company Eco Sustainable Solutions has announced its plans to help – a facility that could recycle up to 12,000 tonnes of additional waste, and use a further 48,000 tonnes to generate low-carbon energy for the area.
According to statistics website Statista, the average Briton generated 394kg of waste each in 2018. With a UK population of 66.7 million (in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics), that’s a terrifying amount of waste every year. But the new plans should make it possible to turn a large quantity of Dorset’s waste into energy.
Now celebrating its 25th year, Eco Sustainable Solutions has announced plans for a multi-million pound investment in an Energy Recovery Facility in Parley. The facility would allow them to process up to 60,000 tonnes of additional waste, recycling a fifth of it and using the rest to create low-carbon energy that could power local homes and businesses.
The new plant would be the latest in Eco’s clean energy portfolio; they already run a combined heat and power plant and a 77mw solar energy plant in Parley, as well as a 1.6mw anaerobic digestion facility in Piddlehinton, near Dorchester.
But they aren’t stopping there. Climate change is a serious problem and it isn’t going away. BCP Council has created a 153-measure plan to reduce the impact of climate change, such as reducing single-use plastics in the area and increasing recycling. Taking that into consideration, Eco is planning to build a visitor centre and education programme at their new facility, to support the existing plans, and encourage residents and businesses to ‘reduce waste. reuse, and recycle’.
Chief Operating Officer Justin Dampney, said: “Reducing waste is also tackling climate change. There is still a huge amount of waste going to landfill, which is having to be transported out of the county because all of Dorset’s landfills have shut. This increases emissions and ‘waste miles’ and goes against the ‘proximity principle’ that local communities should manage their own waste not only to reduce the burden on neighbouring authorities, but also to create local economic growth and employment. Our plans are at an early stage, and we are keen to hear the views of local residents, community organisations and businesses as we prepare to submit a planning application. We will consult on a draft application in the autumn and aim to submit a full planning application before the end of the year.”
Trelawney Dampney
Managing director Trelawney Dampney added: “Over the last 25 years, our business has prevented 1.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by diverting organic waste from landfill – our main site is powered by renewable energy and our developments generate enough renewable energy to power 22,000 homes. In the last decade alone, we have invested over £10 million in local sustainable solutions. The proposed ERF demonstrates our commitment to continuing to invest in local sustainable solutions.”
You can read more about the work Eco Sustainable Solution is doing by visiting their website.