Sutton incinerator faces backlash over plans to burn more waste from other towns

Sutton Council has hit out at plans to burn thousands more tonnes of waste a year at the Beddington incinerator.

The change would mean more waste, including rubbish from other parts of the country, would be sent to the site.

The centre is used by boroughs part of the South London Waste Partnership; Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston.

Known as the “energy recovery facility,” general waste is incinerated rather than sent to landfill.

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But Councillor Manuel Abellan, Sutton Council’s deputy leader, said the new levels would be “too much” and would increase traffic and pollution from cars in the area.

Viridor, which runs the facility, has applied to the Environment Agency to process up to 382,000 tonnes of rubbish a year.

When it was originally proposed, the initial capacity was 275,000 tonnes a year though the facility could process 302,500 tonnes a year.

But this was increased from 302,500 to 347,000 a year in 2020.

Cllr Abellan said: “I will be contacting the Environment Agency who have the final say in the matter, to urge them to carry out a full public consultation before making any decisions about the application.

“The proposed additional commercial and industrial waste that will be processed at the plant, will not come from Sutton or from our partners in the South London Waste Partnership but from other parts of the country.

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“The increase in vehicle movements and emissions in the Beddington area that will result from the increase in tonnage, is not in the best interest of Sutton residents.”

A spokesperson for Viridor said more capacity is needed in the South East and London.

They said: “This variation is being submitted following extensive reviews of the performance of the Beddington ERF which have concluded that it has ability to treat additional waste safely and without causing negative impacts to the surrounding environment or the operating efficiency of the plant.

“As a region the South East and greater London area continues to see an increase in residual waste volumes with large quantities either being exported to European ERF’s or directed to UK landfill.

“If approved this variation will enable waste to move higher up the waste hierarchy by diverting it away from landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and produces electricity.”