A meeting in Great Blakenham.

 Last week I went to a residents' liaison meeting at the new energy-from-waste facility at Great Blakenham.  It was the first time that I had visited the site, and I was keen to see the plant that will make a huge difference to the way that we deal with our waste in the county.

The meeting is a regular fixture arranged by the site operator SITA. It gives local residents the chance to review progress,  and also to express any concerns and problems that occur during the construction and commissioning period. The site operators and also representatives from the local authorities involved in the Suffolk Waste Parnership were there to participate and listen. 

It was a really beautiful evening, and the cross country trip from home was really enjoyable. I was concerned that, since I don't know that part of the county very well,  I would not be able to find the site, but given its size this proved pretty easy since it loomed up on the horizon from a little distance away.

In June the facility took in its first deliveries of waste.  On the first day some 21 lorries brought 200 tonnes of waste, and over the next few weeks the amount will gradually increase.  The plant is expected to reach full capacity at the end of the July by which time most of Suffolk's waste will be used to generate electricity rather than ending up in landfill sites.

As mentioned on this site a little while ago, some of the residual heat generated by the incinerator will be used to make Suffolk one of the UK's largest producers of tomatoes.

More information on the energy-from-waste project is available here.