SITA UK responds to claims it misled Perth & Kinross Council over Binn Farm gasifier application, 30 Nov 2011

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The following statement from SITA UK attempts to explain why it told the Development Control Committee that it had developed a waste gasification incinerator in Surrey, which turned out to be somewhat misleading - see GAINS press release from 11 November 2011

At the Development Control Committee and in all other consultation regarding our proposals, SITA UK has always intended to provide accurate, relevant information to the public and to the local authority.

Comments in respect of Surrey made by SITA UK to the Perth & Kinross Development Control Committee should be viewed in their rightful context, which was as a response to suggestions from residents that this new facility would be a test case for the company – the intent was simply to clarify that SITA UK is at a more advanced stage with plans to develop gasification facilities elsewhere in the UK, including Surrey and Avonmouth.

The application process SITA UK has gone through to secure permission for the site at Binn Farm has been long and thorough. Our application was submitted to Perth and Kinross Council in October 2010 and was widely consulted upon with statutory bodies such as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. It was then recommended for approval by the Council’s planning officer in a comprehensive report to the Council’s Development Control Committee.

The principles and benefits behind the thermal treatment of waste are long established both in the UK and abroad. Energy-from-waste has a significant role to play in helping Perth and Kinross put waste to better use by diverting it away from landfill and meeting the impending challenges of Scotland's Zero Waste Plan.

This new facility will recover energy from residual waste that would traditionally have been landfilled and help to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. It will also create 20 to 25 permanent full-time jobs as well as construction opportunities, both of which will boost the local economy.