Viridor asked the Environment Agency to increase the plant’s capacity by 10% to 382,000 tons.

The company said that by doing so it would be able to process waste from other parts of London and the South East – where ‘large amounts’ of waste are still being sent to landfill – without causing environmental damage to the city. wider area.

Viridor’s decision follows a similar step it took in December 2020, to increase capacity by 15% to 347,422 tonnes.

The SLWP, which manages waste on behalf of Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton, issued a statement this morning (January 26) saying it was “disappointed” Viridor made the claim just over a year since its last capacity increase request.

The SLWP said it was concerned about the impact any capacity increase at the Beddington facility would have on local traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.

Contract

The SLWP named Viridor as the preferred bidder for the installation in 2011, (see letrecycle.com history) and approved the plant the following year, with a capacity then of 275,000 tons.

If the final capacity increase is approved, it means that the plant’s capacity would have increased by more than 100,000 tons during this period.

We are disappointed that Viridor is making this app

Capacity

A spokesman for SLWP said that, while it recognized the need for additional capacity in London and the South East, “we are concerned about the impact that any increase in capacity of the installation of Beddington would have on local traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.”

The spokesperson added: “As a partnership, we will want to fully understand the implications this increase would have on traffic movements and emissions. We expect the Environment Agency to consider this a “substantial variation” to the permit, meaning there will be a consultation period, most likely to take place in the summer of 2022.

“This will be an important opportunity for local residents and stakeholders to review the technical information submitted by Viridor in support of the application and to share their comments directly with the Environment Agency, who will ultimately make the decision. whether or not to approve the request. or not.”

This will allow waste to move up higher in the waste hierarchy

Trials

A Viridor spokesperson, however, said the company had undertaken “thorough performance reviews” of the plant, which concluded it would be able to handle more waste.

This can be done without “causing negative impacts on the surrounding environment or on the operational efficiency of the plant”.

The spokesperson added: “As a region, the South East and Greater London area continue to see an increase in residual waste volumes, with large amounts either being exported to European ERFs or directed to landfills. British.

“If approved, this variation will allow waste to move higher up the waste hierarchy by diverting it from landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and generating electricity.”

London

Viridor’s plans for Beddington have surfaced as the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) officially signs a contract with Acciona to build the new Edmonton plant, with a capacity of over 700,000 tonnes.

Other factories in London see Cory operate a factory in Belvedere, south east London, and it has a second approved factory. Together these would have a capacity of over 1.1 million tonnes.

Veolia also operates the South East London Combined Heat and Power Station (SELCHP) in Lewisham. Some London waste is also taken to the Viridor/Grundon plant just across the west London border at Colnbrook.