Essex County Council’s decision to provisionally send almost 340,000 tonnes of waste to be burnt at a controversial incinerator in Braintree has been described as using a “landfill in the sky”.

It comes after the county council‘s waste strategy announced it will stop all landfilling by 2030, and halve the amount of residual waste by 2042.

A decision was taken on Wednesday (August 7) to provisionally award 337,000 tones to Indaver Rivenhall Limited. 

The contract is due to commence on April 1, 2025, for a seven-year period, with the option to extend by up to seven more years if required.

The tonnage would mean all the waste currently being sent to landfill would now be burnt at the plant under construction in Rivenhall.

Councillor James Abbott (Green, Braintree) described the strategy as just creating a “landfill in the sky” above Essex and said more needed to be done to improve recycling.

He said “Have we hardly moved? This comes as no surprise. We have been saying that it has been a glint in the eye, a dream, of both parties to move towards incineration but Essex County Council has been inching towards it for over a decade.

“To dress it up as some sort of sustainable solution is ridiculous “Basically Essex County Council is now embarking on a strategy of burning, which I call landfill in the sky, black bin waste in Essex, instead of going for much high recycle rates bearing down significantly on waste generation.

“Their failure to improve recycling is proved in the figures. If you looked at the numbers they have hardly moved in ten years.”

Councillor Peter Schwier, Climate Czar and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling, said: “I am delighted that we have nearly reached the final stage of the tender process for the treatment of our residual waste in Essex.

"This will ensure medium-term arrangements are in place for the treatment of our waste.

"If awarded, this contract would support the zero waste to landfill target."

“This would be another great outcome following cabinet approval last month for the exciting new Waste Strategy for Essex following which longer-term arrangements for waste treatment will be explored.”

Essex County Council says the new contracts will ensure residual waste treatment arrangements are in place for the medium term and Essex County Council is able to continue to fulfil its obligation as Waste Disposal Authority to make arrangements for the treatment and disposal of the county’s residual waste.