This is non-hazardous waste that has not been recycled or reused and is therefore termed ‘residual’.

The Facility is made of a thermal treatment technology using combustion that also generates electricity via the turbine using the steam from the process. It is designed to significantly reduce the amount of household residual waste landfilled in Gloucestershire. This process is monitored and regulated by the Environment Agency (EA).

There is a global need to reduce carbon and tackle climate change through effective waste management. We can no longer rely on landfill to dispose of our unwanted materials, and we must utilise alternative options to manage waste.  Waste in landfill sites generates greenhouse gases, methane primarily, contributing to climate change. 

The EfW technology has a sound and proven operational track record as it provides consistently low emissions, energy recovery, additional materials for recycling, and high rates of diversion from landfill. Currently, there are over 40 operational energy from waste facilities across the UK. The specific technology chosen for each aspect of the combustion process uses the Best Available Techniques.

Under government guidance, the “Best Available Techniques” means the available techniques that are best for preventing or minimising the impact on the environment. “Techniques” include both the technology used and the way any installation is designed, built, maintained, operated, and decommissioned.

The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility treats all the household residual waste generated in Gloucestershire that has been either collected by the District Councils or taken to Household Recycling Centres (HRCs), making the County self-sufficient in terms of waste treatment capacity. This keeps ‘waste miles’ down and supports recycling through the recovery of metals and aggregates from Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) and creates electricity.

It provides the treatment and recovery component of Gloucestershire’s countywide Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy and uses proven energy-from-waste technology, as evidenced by over 40 similar facilities in the UK. The Facility has been enabled to generate Combined Heat and Power (CHP), and it is a condition of the Environmental Permit that the operator reviews the opportunities for using the heat every two years. 

• It contributes over 116,000 MWh to Gloucestershire’s annual energy production.

• It generates the equivalent electricity to power approximately 25,000 homes. 

• Over 90% of the waste that arrives on site is diverted from landfill.

• It produces around 40,000 tonnes of sustainable aggregates to be used in the construction industry.

• It recovers around 3,000 tonnes of metals.

• It treats waste that cannot be recycled or reused that otherwise would have gone to landfill. 

• The County reduces its contribution to the amount of methane released from landfill (methane is more than 21 times more effective at trapping heat within the atmosphere than carbon dioxide).

• It generates energy in the form of steam or hot water that can be used as a direct heat supply, or more commonly converted to electricity.

• It provides a sustainable, UK generated energy supply, adding to the UK’s energy security.

• Around 50% of the energy recovered may be called renewable because of the organic/biogenic composition of waste feedstock. This contributes to renewable energy targets.

• It means that Gloucestershire has a sustainable waste treatment process, which ends its reliance on landfill and makes the county self sufficient.

We employ around 40 people across a range of operational roles. There is a great reliance on local and UK-based suppliers of products and services used for maintenance work, tool hire, drainage, cleaning and other upkeep of the Facility.

Furthermore, the Facility has an apprenticeship programme and offers a ‘job interview guarantee’ for Gloucestershire residents who meet the job criteria. There are also work experience placements for local students to support the development of the future workforce. If you are interested, please email info@ubbgloucestershire.co.uk.

The Resources and Waste Strategy for England sets out the Government’s plans to preserve material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy. This also extends to managing waste in terms of what is best for the environment, with chapter 3 dedicated to ‘Resource Recovery and Waste Management’.

The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility processes household residual waste from the local area, removing the need for waste to travel and reducing greenhouse gases from landfill.

Approximately 50% of the energy produced by the Facility can be classed as renewable. As a result, the Facility helps to reduce carbon and methane emissions, providing a better environment for those in Gloucestershire and beyond.

The Facility is not a replacement for reduce, reuse, recycle (3 R’s), which remain the priority. It deals more effectively with household residual waste than previous landfill options for materials and energy recovery.  

The gross electrical output of the Facility is 17.4 MW. About 2.9 MW is used to run the Facility itself and it exports 14.5 MW, or around 116,000 MWh per year to the grid, providing the equivalent electrical energy to power approximately 25,000 homes.

The Facility is designed to be a CHP Plant, so that as well as generating electricity, it is capable of supplying heat or steam to be used by neighbouring homes or businesses.

The EfW Facility sits on a 12.6 acre plot. The footprint of the main building complex is around 9,200 square metres. The maximum height of the main boiler hall is 48.5 metres above surrounding ground level, and the chimney stack is 70 metres tall.

Incinerator Bottom Ash (shortened to IBA) is the non-combustible residue resulting from the energy from waste process comprising mainly of clinker, brick rubble and soils, glass, ceramics, and metals. The combustion of 190,000 tonnes of waste will give rise to approximately 40,000 tonnes of IBA a year. 

IBA that is generated at the Facility is cooled in a quench bath and conveyed to a storage/treatment hall in the main building of the Facility. The material is then processed with an array of screens, magnets, and eddy current separators to recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals for recycling. It grades the remaining material for use as a substitute for virgin aggregates in construction and civil engineering industries (for example, sub-base for roads).

While the Facility will not replace recycling, reuse or waste reduction activities, it does add to the overall environmental performance of the county and its residents.

Air Pollution Control (APC) residues mainly consist of lime and carbon which are used to clean the gases before steam is released into the atmosphere. The APC residues are collected regularly from the site and transported to Augean, a waste management operator who is approved to accept hazardous material, where it is treated at their landfill site. The residues account for less than 3% of waste treated. 

The design of the Facility is sympathetic to the characteristics and local history of the area. The design ensures that: 

• is adaptable to technological change. 

• has safe and fully accessible spaces. 

• has screens operations from outside the site. 

• mitigates against visual impact through careful selection of materials and colours. 

• uses sustainable urban drainage systems. 

• avoids disturbance for the local community through noise bunding and off-road queuing. 

• enhances the stream within the site. 

• connects areas of local wildlife.

The Facility achieved a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating of ‘Very Good’.  First published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, it is the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings.

The Facility has an Environmental Permit which has set the level of permissible emissions using the Industrial Emissions Directive. The Permit was assessed and granted by the EA who also undertakes frequent regulatory inspections.

The Facility’s efficient technology protects the environment by delivering low emissions, energy and recyclate recovery, and diversion of waste from landfill. It is reliable, established, and robust. We demonstrate this through regular reporting to the EA of our performance.

Yes, the Facility accepts certain non-hazardous third party waste deliveries from commercial sources which are of similar properties to household residual waste. 

Our Environmental Permit, as granted, issued and monitored by the EA, takes into account the latest regulations and legislation for human health for the operation of an energy from waste facility. This includes details of permitted emission limits under the Industrial Emissions Directive. Emissions data is recorded and reported to the EA and is available here.  The EA, in their regulatory role, advises all waste operators of any changes in regulation and how these should be taken into account. We have regular dialogue with our local monitoring officer who also attends the Community Liaison Group (CLG) meetings.

The impacts on human health were also addressed during the planning process and reported in the Secretary of State’s Decision Notice to grant planning permission.

Within the site, we have developed and built a large wildlife area using flora that is naturally found in the surrounding countryside with additional wildlife habitats in, around and part of the functional Facility. We endeavour to maintain and protect the area in which we operate as per the granted Planning Permission which also took into account environmental and landscaping assessments. This information can be found in the Design and Access Statement which accompanied the planning application.

Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) traffic associated with deliveries of waste and the removal of ash and residues totals approximately 104 vehicles in and out each day. HGVs are not allowed to turn right onto the B4008 after leaving the site.

Our Planning Permission was granted subject to several conditions, some setting specific operation limits and the others requiring the development and agreement of certain schemes to limit potential impacts associated with the operation of the Facility.

An Operational Traffic Plan was developed and agreed upon with the Planning Authority to satisfy Condition 24 to deliver sustainable transport objectives for the Facility.

The Dust Management Plan was developed to satisfy Condition 25 and captures the various measures utilised to manage dust which may be generated from onsite activities.

The neighbouring Noise Levels were determined before the Facility became operational in accordance with Condition 30. It is against these baseline levels that the noise limits set in Condition 31 are measured against.

As per the Defra Code of Practice of Litter and Refuse, the site will be maintained in a clean and tidy condition from litter and debris

Cleaned flue gases and steam come out of the top of the chimney stack. The steam may be visible in certain atmospheric conditions such as ambient temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius or below, cloud cover and the type of backdrop it is seen against.

We are working with the EA, as the regulator, to ensure emission limits specified within the Environmental Permit are complied with at all times. Emissions are controlled through chemical dosing which reduces the contaminants released during the combustion process and the bag house filter which removes the particles contained in the flue gases. The whole process is monitored using the continuous emissions monitoring on site which operates constantly throughout the year.

Information on the emissions performance of the Facility can be found here.

The EA’s indicative flood maps show that the site is located in Flood Zone 1; meaning there is a low risk of flooding. The site does not lie above a Groundwater Source Protection Zone. For more information on geology, flood risk, and groundwater, refer to the Environmental Assessment.

The contract with Gloucestershire County Council was established in 2016 and will last 25 years from the point of operation, which was October 2019.

There is an active CLG, which meets regularly to review progress and address issues. The Group comprises members of local Parish Councils and District and County councillors. Residents can make representations through their local representatives. More information on the CLG can be found here.

We are committed to protecting and encouraging wildlife within the site and we have installed a wildlife area that includes a range of plants to encourage insects and birds, as well as bird and bat boxes and bird feeders. The filled gabions in front of the reception are great homes for insects and minibeasts, four ponds on-site encourage wildlife, there is a managed bat corridor, native extensive planting throughout the site and a living green wall. Collectively, these measures protect and enhance the local wildlife and biodiversity.

The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility has a fully equipped Visitor Centre that is open to all. It can currently accommodate up to 20 visitors at one time. The Aerodrome classroom caters for up to 20 people and the Meteor meeting room is suitable for bookings of up to 10 people. This provides a venue for schools, colleges, community and other interest groups to meet and learn about sustainable waste management and resource use, with access to a working facility. Site tours are limited to a maximum of 10 people per tour.

The Visitor Centre can be used for: 

• Educational tours. 

• Courses and workshops on recycling recovery and the waste hierarchy, climate change, and sustainability.

• Business meetings (at a charge). 

The Visitor Centre is available to schools, colleges and universities supporting sustainability-themed courses and also apprentices, adult and community groups.

If you want to find out more, please visit the Site Tours and Visitor Centre. 

You can book a tour by visiting the Site Tours and Visitor Centre page and contacting Melanie de la Torre by emailing mdelatorre@urbaser.co.uk or by calling 01452 379881. 

The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility Community Fund is open for applications during spring each year to established community groups in the parishes of Huntgrove, Hardwicke, Quedgeley, Brookthorpe-with-Whaddon, Haresfield, Harescombe, Standish, Moreton Valence, and Whitminster. The Fund is managed and run by community representatives from the CLG, to support local groups and organisations who are running projects that benefit environmental,  societal and community causes.

More information on the Fund and its criteria can be found here.

The contact email address for queries is info@ubbgloucestershire.co.uk. The emergency out-of-hours contact phone number is 07860 268578.