ENVIRONMENTALISTS today warned Sheffield could become the "dustbin of South Yorkshire" if proposals to allow the city's incinerator to burn waste from Barnsley, Doncaster and Chesterfield are approved.
Sheffield Council's contractor Veolia, which runs the city's 'Energy Recovery Facility' in Bernard Road, Hyde Park, has applied for planning permission to import 75,000 tonnes of extra waste a year from the neighbouring towns.
The Green Party is c
oncerned about the environmental impact of more than 20 heavy lorries a day rumbling to the site - where waste is burned to produce energy to heat buildings around the city.
"This proposal is in danger of making Sheffield the dustbin of South Yorkshire and we are one of the groups which have objected," said Coun Bernard Little, one of the party's three Central Ward members.
Colleague Coun Jillian Creasy added: "It's true this waste would otherwise be landfilled, and that incineration with energy reclamation is better than landfill. But Veolia is not saving on landfill because it will simply transport the same amount of commercial waste, currently going to the incinerator, to a landfill site near Doncaster.
"We are also horrified that the council is considering allowing Veolia to change how it operates even before it has consulted on or approved a new waste strategy.
Got a view? Add your comment below.Criticism also came from nearby resident Jill Francis, who used to live in Hyde Park and is now one of the last tenants of Park Hill flats.
"We make enough rubbish in Sheffield without importing it from other areas, and this will take jobs from people dealing with rubbish disposal in the other areas."
Sheffield Council Labour group leader Coun Jan Wilson said she wanted to ensure there would be no adverse impact on residents in her neighbouring Manor Castle ward, and suggested lorry journeys to the incinerator could be made at night to avoid clogging up busy roads.
SA decision on the planning application is due to be made by Sheffield Council's planning board before the start of September
Martin Simpson, managing director of Veolia Environmental Services in Sheffield, said: "We have carried out a detailed traffic analysis which suggests traffic flow will be spread throughout the day, and there will be a reduction in traffic-based carbon emissions."
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