Plans for healthcare waste treatment plant could create jobs in Telford

Stericycle, a provider of healthcare waste services in the UK, has applied to Telford & Wrekin Council to transform an industrial building on Stafford Park.

The plans state it will employ up to 69 people, including plant, drivers, admin and management workers, and will replace an existing facility operated by the company in Four Ashes which is due to end its operations this year.

A report submitted with the application says: "One of the services that the applicant provides relates to clinical waste management – also referred to as healthcare and medical waste – and which requires correct identification, handling and disposal.

"Clinical waste management is one of their business operations and with their national network of clinical waste facilities they can process all types of healthcare waste including orange, yellow and tiger bagged waste, sharps and pharmaceutical waste and other difficult to process waste streams.

"The site will operate as a healthcare waste treatment plant and transfer site of packaged healthcare and related waste.

"The wastes will be sourced from a range of waste producing premises including public and private hospitals, doctor surgeries, health centres, dental practices and a range of other producers of similar type wastes.

"The majority of the waste received at the facility will be produced by the NHS, with the largest single contract being with the West Midlands Clinical Waste Consortium, a group of NHS trusts in the region."

Incineration

The site would operate on a 24-hour basis, seven days-a-week, 365 days-a-year.

The facility would deal with 17,500 tons of hazardous waste and 7,300 tons of non-hazardous waste per year.

Waste would be handled and stored in both internal and external areas while on site in "fully enclosed, leak-proof containers, which will prevent the release of odours to the environment", the plans state.

It says wastes transferred off-site would primarily be sent for waste-to-energy incineration or other recovery processes, with only small quantities being sent to landfill.

The facility would also have 52 car parking spaces and 26 loading bays for HGVs.

The application says that the company has grown significantly over the past decade and embraces new techniques and technology to make its operation greener.

A decision on the proposals is expected to be made by Telford & Wrekin Council in the upcoming months.