An artist's impression of how the Shrewsbury incinerator would look

Bosses behind plans for a controversial £60 million incinerator in Shrewsbury today vowed they would not import waste from outside the county to burn.

But Veolia Environmental Services admitted that, despite the facility being proposed to deal with household rubbish, there are plans to take commercial waste should there be any “spare capacity”.

The details have been released by Veolia following a request for more information about its plans for the burner or Energy from Waste (EFW) facility.

In a letter to Veolia’s agents Scott Wilson Ltd, Malcolm Bell, strategic minerals and waste manager at Shropshire Council, said there were fears that with increased recycling rates expected in the future, the incinerator would have to import waste from other areas to operate.

He says: “While there is a predicted growth in households and levels of municipal waste there is a concern that with the emphasis on increased recycling levels it may be necessary to import waste from further afield, or from non-municipal sources in order to supply the incinerator with the required waste quantities.”

A spokesman from Veolia today said: “The EFW has been designed to take domestic type waste. However, if there is any spare capacity, we would be able to take commercial waste from around the county. This commercial waste is produced by businesses shops and offices and is waste that cannot be recycled. No waste will be imported from outside the county.”

Veolia is proposing a throughput of waste at the rate of 90,000 tonnes a year, which it says is based on the plant operating at an availability of 85 per cent.

In a response to a list of questions from the council, the company’s agents say: “From Veolia’s experience, typical availability ranges from 80 per cent to 90 per cent, however this does depend on the period of measurement and age of plant.

“This gives a typical average range in minimum and maximum annual tonnage of between 84,700 and 95,300 tonnes within normal operational tolerances.”

Veolia has also dismissed claims that the incinerator will curb recycling efforts in Shropshire over the next 20 years.

By Russell Roberts