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In December 2013 the new EfW (Energy for Waste) facility on Whisby Road in North Hykeham is due to commence operations. The site, just off the A46 Lincoln Bypass, is next to the (currently) active landfill site usually referred to as Station Road or Hykeham Tip.
This site is currently a magnet for Gulls and is no doubt responsible for the recent run of Caspian Gull sightings at the Hykeham/Whisby Pits area, as well as a host of other scarce species such as Mediterranean, Glaucous, Iceland and even Kumlien’s Gulls over the years. It attracts many of the larger species including significant counts of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the summer/autumn months.
However, with the new EfW facility up and running the landfill site will become redundant. I am unsure of the future plans for this land area as to whether it will be sympathetically landscaped or proposed as future development land. Although from an environmental point of view these waste facility plants offer great benefits, from a purely selfish gull watching point of view they are a potential disaster! As this site will deal with all waste across the County it would appear that other top class Gull watching sites such as the landfill at Boston, Gainsborough and Kirkby for example are also under threat. As the boom in Gull numbers over the last few decades, both as wintering birds and that of encouraging the spread of inland breeding amongst certain species, has largely been attributed to landfill, then it remains to be seen what impact the increasing spread of EfW facilities across the UK will have on these species in years to come as landfill becomes a thing of the past.
At the present time most waste is sent to landfill sites but this is considered unacceptable both environmentally and financially. As waste breaks down, it gives off methane, which is a greenhouse gas twenty times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Because of this, cutting landfill has a big part to play in the fight against global warning. Councils also now face severe penalties for failing to cut landfill with landfill tax rising every year. Under new EU rules councils will face fines of up to £150 per tonne of landfill over their agreed allowance. For Lincolnshire this could mean a bill of up to £15million a year if targets are missed which would impact on council services and council tax bills.
Much more information on this new EfW facility is available on the Lincolnshire County Council website, but briefly Waste contains energy. Energy from Waste (EfW) is a process of burning waste under strictly controlled conditions to recover the energy contained within the waste, in the form of steam and electricity. It is a tried and tested technology, which is increasingly popular in this country and used widely across Europe already. There are already 24 EfW facilities in this country, with four under construction and plans for many more. It is a safe and affordable way of recovering value from leftover waste. The energy recovered in the form of electricity is sold back to the National Grid and powers the equivalent of 15,000 homes. Using a form of EfW called Combined Heat and Power (CHP) the heat that is generated could also be used locally to heat homes or businesses. Most of the ash that is produced is recycled for use in the construction industry, to help build roads for example.
So, if you enjoy filling you nostrils with the stench of tonnes of rotting rubbish whilst sifting through thousands of gulls in the hope of finding something different (not everyone’s idea of fun admittedly!) then make the most of it while you can…………
Matthew
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