Norfolk waste 'recycled in Slough'

Waste produced in Norfolk is being incinerated in Slough due to a lack of demand for dry recyclables, it has been revealed.

According to the Norfolk Evening News, the market for recycled waste has been stifled by the economic downturn, with the rejection rate for waste entering the Material Recycling Facility at Costessey having increased by 4.5 per cent since November.

This means that 5,000 to 8,160 tonnes of rejected material is now going to landfill sites or being incinerated in Slough.

Liberal Democrat spokesman Tim East told the newspaper he does not agree with taking Norfolk's waste to a different part of the country.

"I do not believe that transporting this waste over such a great distance is in any way sustainable. Norfolk needs to move rapidly to self-sufficiency in waste management," he commented.

Norfolk County Council was given £91 million earlier this year by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to invest in facilities aimed at reducing the impact of household waste disposal.

Written by Claire Manning