Do you ever wonder what happens to the things you put in your waste bin? Your recycling is sorted and passed onto recycling companies, but what about your non-recyclable waste?
So far over 2500 visitors to Greatmoor Energy from Waste have found out.
All of the residual (non-recyclable) household waste generated in Buckinghamshire is now processed at the Greatmoor Energy from Waste facility, at Woodham, near Aylesbury. Greatmoor is operated by FCC Environment, in partnership with Buckinghamshire County Council.
Greatmoor has the capacity to treat up to 300,000 tonnes of waste a year (approximately 900 tonnes a day), waste which would otherwise have gone to landfill. As a result, it generates a minimum of 22 megawatts of electricity to the national grid – meeting the energy needs of around 36,000 homes.
This alternative treatment of waste will result in a saving to Buckinghamshire County Council of approximately £150 million over the 30 year life of the contract.
Guided tours of Greatmoor are available by prior agreement and at no charge. Visiting groups have included WIs, U3As, Rotary Clubs, Scouts, Cubs, Primary Schools, Colleges and lots of others.
A group visit to Greatmoor can be tailored to your requirements and will include a tour around the facility, which includes the control room (where you will be able to see the cranes loading the waste), a visit to the viewing hatch providing an exciting view into the heart of the fire, the turbine hall and the huge condenser fans, which is an experience not to be missed.
The maximum group size for a tour is 15. School visits are available for Key Stage 2 upwards.
Cllr Bill Chapple OBE, Buckinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning & Environment, said: “Greatmoor is a great asset to Buckinghamshire, and I’d really recommend that people take this opportunity to see the plant in operation and find out how it helps us reduce the environmental impact of our waste while at the same time saving money.”
Feedback from visitors includes “ The tutor had a really good knowledge and explained it all well. The tour was such a good experience and really interesting. I think that all the general public should have an opportunity” and “Very informative but not too much sitting around so the children got bored or disruptive – they were kept engaged throughout”
If you aren’t a member of a local group but would like a tour, why come to one of our open tour days?
Greatmoor is holding four public open tour days in 2018.
These are on the following Saturdays – March 17th, June 30th, September 22nd and November 24th.
On each day there will be tours, at 10am, 12.30 and 3pm. Please note that places are available on a strictly booking in advance basis only. There is a minimum age limit of 12 on open tours.
For more information about Greatmoor please visit www.Greatmoor.co.uk