Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility celebrates four years in operation
/● The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility celebrated its fourth anniversary in October 2023, marking the time since it became operational in 2019.
● In four years, the Facility has treated 750,699 tonnes of waste, recovered 172,776 tonnes of material for recycling, and exported 509,583 MWh of electricity to the National Grid.
● Highlights of the past year include two successful Open Days, popular workshops and the exceptional demand for site tours, with visits being fully booked up to a year ahead.
The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility celebrated its fourth anniversary at the end of October 2023. Since the beginning of operations in October of 2019, the Facility has treated 750,699 tonnes of waste and exported 509,583 MWh of electricity to the National Grid. 172,776 tonnes of materials have been recovered for recycling during this time, including aggregates and metals, collectively referred to as incinerator bottom ash (IBA). Since opening, the Facility has generated enough electricity to service the average demands of all households in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud for over a year.
In addition to treating up to 190,000 tonnes of household residual waste from Gloucestershire’s homes and Household Recycling Centres, along with waste of a similar composition from commercial businesses, every year, the Facility helps educate the local community about the energy from waste process. The Facility’s Visitor Centre provides a space for schools, colleges, community, and other interest groups to meet and learn about sustainable waste management and resource use.
As tours of the Facility have proved so popular, it is now fully booked until late 2024. The Open Days, the next of which is planned for the spring of 2024, represent one of the only opportunities ways to come and view the Facility. , with the next one planned for the spring of 2024. Following the success of their first Open Day in March 2022, visitors were again invited to see first-hand how the Facility operates in November 2022, March 2023, and November 2023 - all of which were fully booked and received positive feedback. The Open Day tours, intended for small groups such as families, friends and couples, allow members of the public to view the different elements of the energy from waste process, including the waste cranes, the combustion grate, and the stack.
In 2023, the Facility also hosted a successful seed bomb making workshop in August, which invited children aged 5-16 to learn how to make their garden into a paradise for bees and other pollinators. The seed bombs were crafted using poppy seeds from flowers grown on-site. In February, a papermaking workshop gave children the opportunity to explore different ways that paper can be recycled at home and used for craft activities. In late 2022, one winner from Gloucestershire was awarded a tour of the site after they submitted an artwork representing the Facility for the first-ever art competition. The 2023 competition is now available to enter, and allows entrants to create a piece of art on the theme of ‘Plastic Reduction’ using any medium of their choice.
Dan Pearson, General Manager, commented:
“Our impressive operational performance over the past four years has all been made possible by our hard-working team, thanks to whom we have been able to divert 90% of all waste that arrives on-site from landfill. It’s also important to us that we help inform the local community about the benefits of our processes and continue to find new and fun ways to engage and educate local residents on how we can all use available resources sustainably, including through visitor tours and workshops. If you would like to learn more about what we do and our future events, visit our website or the Facility’s Facebook Group.”
Separate from the operation of the Facility and Visitor Centre, each year Urbaser provides £25,000 to the Community Fund, with grants made available for various different projects that have environmental and social benefits within the local communities. Among the 12 recipients in 2023 were Whitminster Village Hall, Harescombe Social Club and Hardwicke AFC, with grants given to different projects such as installing roofing, doors, railings and heaters in community spaces. Since establishing the Community Fund four years ago, the Facility has allocated financial grants worth £138,332 to support 47 projects in the constituted community groups and parish organisations in the local area.
Dan Pearson, General Manager, said:
“Our contribution to the local community doesn’t stop at the weighbridge. We are so pleased to be able to make a real difference to local groups through these grants.”
Find out more about the Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility on their website: https://www.ubbgloucestershire.co.uk/
