On Wednesday 30th November- members from Cirencester Pantry visited the Urbaser Energy from Waste (EFW) plant, just off the M5. The plant was completed in 2019, and now serves all of Gloucestershire. During the tour, the team got to view the huge hall where garbage trucks arrive and drop their waste into an enormous holding area, after which it is picked up by enormous mechanical grabs, that send the rubbish into the furnace. There the rubbish is burnt at around 1000C, and the heat is then used to turn water into high pressure steam, which drives the turbines to make up to 18MW of electricity – enough top power about 25,000 homes.
However, the primary purpose of this plant is to prevent the need for further landfills, of which there are too many in Gloucestershire and, indeed, in the UK overall. All of Gloucestershire’s black bins / non-recyclables end up in the fire at Javelin Park – typically around 130,000 tonnes / annum, with a maximum capacity of 190,000 tonnes. That is why it was so interesting for the team to discuss the Pantry with the staff, since we are both focused on reducing waste, and preventing unnecessary dumping in landfills.
