Extracts from Westminster Hall debate on the Waste Incineration Facilities - Feb 11
Wednesday, 12 February 2020 08:01
Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland West)
(Lab):...Sunderland City Council is aiming to be carbon neutral by
2030—a target that will be totally scuppered if the planning
application for Hillthorn Park is approved. The problem is the
emissions from not just the plant but the 110 HGVs that will work
around the clock to ship waste to it... ...It is not known yet who
will use the energy generated from the gasification plant. It was
thought that Nissan, which is almost next door to...Request free trial
(Washington and Sunderland
West) (Lab):...Sunderland City Council is aiming
to be carbon neutral by 2030—a target that will be totally
scuppered if the planning application for Hillthorn Park is
approved. The problem is the emissions from not just the plant but
the 110 HGVs that will work around the clock to ship waste to
it...
...It is not known yet who will use the energy generated from the
gasification plant. It was thought that Nissan, which is almost
next door to the site, would use it—a pipe from the plant to Nissan
was visible on the plans when I saw them—but, as far as I am aware,
no such agreement has been made. Sunderland City
Council is keen to work with Nissan to negotiate a safer
and affordable means of generating energy, so there really is no
need for this plant at all with regard to Nissan. I should make it
clear that the Sunderland City Council planning
team rejected the plant and is making a strong defence against it.
We are all united against it, from politicians to the council,
residents and everyone else...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ():...I point out that it is a
Labour-run council in Sunderland, where the hon.
Member for Washington and Sunderland West comes from, and has been
since 1974. In 2018-19, its household waste recycling rate was just
27.1%, compared with the national average for England of 43.5%, and
its total waste incinerated was 71% of collected waste. It is
telling that the hon. Member herself calls for a great deal more
recycling and consistent collecting, rather than incineration,
which is the direction her council has gone down...
:...The Minister mentioned the
low rates of recycling in Sunderland, and I agree that they need to
be much better, but that needs investment, as other hon. Members
have said, and the hard truth is that the Government have cut
Sunderland City Council’s budget by £350 million
in the past 10 years, so perhaps the Minister can address
investment to support councils to recycle more—I am sure they
would....
To read the whole debate, CLICK
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