Waste treatment and renewable energy company  Sterecycle has received planning permission from Essex County Council to develop a 240,000 tonne-a-year capacity recycling and biomass combined heat and power (CHP) facility in Harlow.

Sterecycle intends to convert an existing warehouse on a seven-acre site on River Way in Harlow into a ‘resource recovery facility', which would include an autoclave plant, a materials recycling facility and a combined heat and power facility.

The process begins by putting all waste into an autoclave for sorting. Recyclables will then be transferred to a materials recycling facility. The organic matter from the waste will then be used to power the CHP plant, while the remaining waste will be sent for incineration. Electricity generated will be exported to the national grid and will also supply the total energy needed to run the site.

According to Sterecycle, 70% of the waste can be recovered and reused.

Sterecycle development director Alistair Shotliff said: “There is a pressing need for waste treatment facilities in this area and this has been acknowledged by the planning authority. Sterecycle offers local authorities and businesses a solution to the rising landfill tax, and an environmentally acceptable way of diverting biodegradable waste from landfill without relying on mass burn incineration.”

In further news, due to increasing demand from local authorities and commercial customers, the company will double the capacity of its Rotherham, South Yorkshire, facility, which will will enable it to treat 200,000 tonnes of waste annually.