‘Back door’ waste burner rejected by councillors

The 10MW plant at King George Dock in Hull was originally intended to use 86,000 tonnes of waste wood arriving as pellets by sea.

However developers have since applied for permission to use up to 20 per cent “refuse derived fuel”, a compressed flock, made mostly from plastics and biodegradable waste, after recyclable material is taken out.

Objections came from over 30 people, including in the town of Hedon, where residents were part of the successful campaign to fight off plans for a much larger incinerator at nearby Saltend.

The latest application aroused fears sewage sludge could be burned as well as plastics and other hazardous materials which could produce harmful dioxin emissions, if not burned at the correct temperature and in the right conditions.

Planning committee chairman Coun Sean Chaytor said: “When they started to talk about wanting to burn rubbish people started to get concerned. They were talking 80 per cent wood and 20 per cent rubbish, but the problem is as soon as that is given permission they can apply to vary conditions at any stage.

“Our officers also confirmed that Hull and East Riding had made alternative arrangements for their waste.”

Coun Terry Keal added: “We were concerned about all our neighbours in Hedon and Preston - prevailing winds blow that way.”

New contracts mean from next month thousands of tonnes of waste produced in Hull will be taken to the world’s largest advanced gasification energy-from-waste plant on Teesside, while waste from the East Riding will go to a similar plant at Ferrybridge owned by FCC Environment.