Commentary by Andrew Green
Two planning applications from Viridor are to be decided by Sheffield City Council on 6th May. These concern a plant to generate electricity by burning gases given off by the decomposition of active waste, and a leachate treatment plant to clean up the liquid which runs off the site before it goes into the sewers.
The application to build the generator proposes that the rate at which biodegradeable waste will be deposited at the site will be increased to 500,000 tonnes each year. Over the last 11 years, waste has been deposited at an average rate of 266,000 tonnes a year. The application anticipates a further ten year operation of the site, during which a total of 5.5 million tonnes of active waste will be deposited.
Although the application does not mention the change of use of Cell 4 to active waste dumping (for which Viridor is campaigning), these figures appear to based on an assumption that this will happen. It appears that the viability of the electricity generator and treatment plants depends on the higher rate of active waste dumping which the change of use of Cell 4 will make possible.
If the rate of waste deposition is to nearly double, presumably the amount of heavy traffic to the site will double as well.