Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council are inviting bids from the waste industry for a contract to fix and operate a long-delayed waste treatment centre.
The waste incineration facility was due to open in 2017 but failed performance testing and has never been used.
The councils now say that they anticipate the waste treatment centre will start to accept waste from across the city and county in November 2028.
The City Council and Derbyshire County Council recently settled a dispute over the facility’s costs and have committed to working in partnership to make the waste treatment centre at Sinfin operational.
Both Councils said fixing and operating the facility was found to be the “most viable and cost-effective, long-term solution” to manage household waste from both the city and county.
The project is intensely opposed by environmental campaigners and local residents.
Two recently planned incinerators have been stopped, and I’ll be making the argument that this incinerator should also be stopped.
The Labour MP for Derby South Baggy Shanker told the BBC he was “more convinced than ever before that [the plant] won’t work and is in the wrong place”.
“I’m on the side of local residents,” he added.
“I’ve been working in Westminster on the future of incineration. Two recently planned incinerators have been stopped, and I’ll be making the argument that this incinerator should also be stopped.”
Last year, before being elected as MP for the region, Shanker was removed as leader of Derby City Council after a motion of no confidence passed.
Steve Hassall, the Conservative group leader, said he tabled the motion to “avert potential financial disaster”, citing concerns over the costs of the Sinfin waste treatment facility.
Councillors come out in support of project
An exercise to shortlist bidders is expected to take place in February 2025 before a contract is awarded in December 2025.
The City and Derbyshire Council said soft market testing undertaken throughout 2023 confirmed there was “capability, capacity and appetite in the market” to deliver the project.
Councillor Simon Spencer, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Budget said the planned incinerator is more sustainable than “transporting material around the country” and reduces the risk of the councils being exposed to uncontrollable market prices in the future.
Councillor Ndukwe Onuoha, Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Public Safety and Leisure, said: “We still need a long-term, more sustainable solution to manage household waste which residents in Derby and Derbyshire either cannot or choose not to recycle.
“The councils are confident there is a competitive market for this project and the operators with the skills and experience to successfully deliver the project and its expected benefits.”
