Gloucestershire's controversial incinerator opens its doors to the media
The incinerator at Javelin Park by the M5 near Gloucester, which has been operating since October 2019, has opened its doors to the media for the first time.
The incinerator will take 190,000 tonnes of waste from homes and household recycling centres in the area each year. Managers point out that this is rubbish that would otherwise end up in landfill sites.
More than 100 lorries arrive most days delivering the waste, which is then picked up and put into the combustion chamber where it burns at around 1,000 degrees.
The resulting ash is collected and recycled into building materials but, in the meantime, the burning waste heats up water which turns into steam. That steam passes along pipes into the huge turbine hall where it is converted into electricity that can power 25,000 homes in the area.
Managers say the gases are treated till they get to a safe level before they are released into the air. They are also continuously monitored.
Environmental campaigners, who lost their long battle to stop the building of the incinerator, remain deeply concerned about its emissions. They claim there is no way of being certain what exactly is being released into the air.
But Gloucestershire County Council remains confident.
The council hopes that a new visitor centre will help build relations.
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