The North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project (NWRWTP) has announced that it is in talks with Anglesey Aluminium Ltd about securing an option to purchase land from them on the former aluminium works near Holyhead on Anglesey. An initial agreement for an option to purchase the land has been reached between the Partnership and Anglesey Aluminium Ltd. It is hoped that the full agreement will be signed soon.
The North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project (NWRWTP), a partnership of Flintshire County Council, the Isle of Anglesey County Council, Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council and Gwynedd Council, is committed to finding a more sustainable solution for treating the waste that is left over after people have recycled and composted as much as they can. The Partnership anticipates that any new facility would not be fully operational until 2016 at the earliest.
Councillor Eryl Williams, Chair of the NWRWTP’s Joint Committee, said: “We are very pleased that the Partnership is a step closer to securing this site. We’ve always stated our intention to seek a site in the West of the Partnership area as an addition to the site already identified in the East of the area at Deeside, Flintshire. The Anglesey site also has good connections to the rail system and the potential use of rail is something that the Partnership is keen to explore”.
The actual location of the waste facility has yet to be decided as the procurement process is still on-going, with bidders ultimately able to propose their own sites or choose one of the partnership sites. With the project representing a potential investment of up to £800 million, it is the single largest joint local government procurement in North Wales.
Lead Chief Executive for the project and Flintshire County Council, Colin Everett, said: “This project is a major part of the commitment from all five partner authorities to deliver the Welsh Assembly Government’s Waste Strategy, and working together on this procurement will help ensure that it is delivered in the most efficient and sustainable way for the residents of North Wales”.
Sending waste directly to landfill is simply not an option for the future, and councils across Wales will have to build a new generation of waste treatment facilities capable of dealing with the waste that every single one of us creates at home. If we continue landfilling our waste, the environmental and financial cost of doing so will prove unsustainable, and therefore must be avoided in the future. This project aims to do this through securing a long term solution. This project has come about as a result of this shared challenge and will provide a shared solution for the communities of North Wales.
Landfill is no longer a viable option for the disposal of waste as there is little remaining space and strict European and Welsh Assembly Government targets are driving the development of more sustainable alternatives.
Keeping the communities of North Wales well informed, and involving residents on key aspects of the project, is a priority for the Partnership. Events are being planned throughout the region during the summer months to ensure that people have an opportunity to engage with and help inform the project as it progresses.
The next step in the procurement process is for bidders to submit their detailed solutions, which they have to do in November this year. These will be thoroughly evaluated, before recommendations are made to the Member Committee regarding de-selection of any bidder. The remaining bidders will then submit their final tenders in Spring 2012 and the preferred bidder appointed in late 2012 / early 2013. A planning application would then follow.
If you would like to find out more about how North Wales can treat its waste in a more sustainable way, please visit www.nwrwtp.org
