Cornwall Council has backed plans for a huge new waste and recycling site to be built.
Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee agreed to grant permission for the new facility at Hallenbeagle, in Redruth. The plant will be able to process up to 140,000 tonnes of waste and will act as a processing centre for waste collected from the kerbside, at dumps and from businesses across the Duchy.
The council recently re-procured its waste collection and cleansing contract, which is expected to have an impact on the management of municipal waste in the county, driving up recycling rates and reducing the amount of residual waste that is being produced. However, it was confirmed that food waste will be transported out of Cornwall to a facility in Devon.
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Cornwall Council said that the new facility was needed to ensure it can roll out its new waste collection service which will add weekly food waste collections and shift black bag waste to be collected fortnightly to encourage households to recycle more. The committee heard that the new service would be operating across Cornwall by 2025.
A planning statement submitted to Cornwall Council noted that that the current Pool Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) and Refuse Transfer Station (RTS) are "no longer fit for purpose and need to be replaced".
"Similarly, it is anticipated that additional future capacity may be required to alleviate pressure at the St Erth facility," it added.
The planning application approved was not only for the waste and recycling facilities but also for a site at Wheal Peevor to be used as a site for improving biodiversity. Emma Smyth from applicants SUEZ told councillors that the new facilities would ensure that the company was ready to process the expected rise in recycling as well as the food waste collected from homes.
The application went before Cornwall Council's planning committee with a recommendation for approval and has now been backed.
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