Councillors have approved plans to repair and bring into operation the waste treatment centre in Sinfin.

In August 2019, the long-term waste management contract between the councils and Resource Recovery Solutions (Derbyshire) Ltd (RRS) – which had been commissioned to design, build and operate the facility – came to an end. And in November 2021, the councils received approval to develop business cases for two options for the future of the facility following a survey to assess its condition and capability.

The options narrowed down for exploration were:

  • To rectify defects and use the facility and,
  • To close the facility and dispose of the councils’ waste using a third party.

At their respective meetings today (2 February 2023), cabinet members at Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council heard how the option to rectify defects and use the facility to treat waste that residents either cannot or choose not to recycle, was considered more cost-effective for Derby and Derbyshire council taxpayers to deal with household waste over the next two decades.

Leader of Derby City Council Councillor Chris Poulter said: “It was vital that we took the time to thoroughly assess the options on the table so that we could make an informed decision on the facility’s future.

The recommendation to rectify and use the facility offered the most viable, economic and cost-effective option and the best deal for council tax-payers in Derby and Derbyshire to provide a sustainable and long-term solution for dealing with household waste.

Rectifying the facility will give the councils more certainty over the future cost of dealing with household waste that residents either cannot or choose not to recycle.

Deputy Leader of Derbyshire County Council Councillor Simon Spencer added:

There will always be some waste that residents either cannot or choose not to recycle and the business case shows that the waste treatment centre is still the best long-term solution – not just in terms of the cost to council tax-payers and protecting them against rising costs of dealing with waste by other means in the future, but also for the benefit to the environment and our ongoing commitment to cut carbon emissions to help tackle climate change.

The councils will now go out to the market to appoint specialist contractors to carry out the rectification work and operate the facility. A further report will be brought back to Cabinet members at both councils at a later date to consider the award of contract(s) for this work.

Approval was also given to set up a Joint Project Board to coordinate decision making to help drive the project forward.