Planning permission has been granted for a new energy from waste plant in south London.

The so-called ‘energy recovery facility’ (ERF) at waste firm Viridor’s recycling and landfill site in Beddington will collect rubbish from the boroughs of Kingston, Sutton, Merton and Croydon.

At the moment these South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) boroughs handle 400,000 tonnes of waste every year. The new plant could take up to 95% of this landfill waste, potentially saving the boroughs £200 million over the 25-year-long contract and emit 128,000 fewer tonnes of CO2e every year than if the waste went to landfill.

When built the plant will generate 26MW of electricity, enough to power the plant and roughly 30,000 homes according to Viridor.

The power plant could also pump its waste heat to local schools and businesses, with plans stating: “The proposed location of the ERF is ideal given the number of potential large energy users in the immediate vicinity that may be able to benefit from this cost-effective and secure energy supply.”

Robert Ryan, Head of Development Projects at Viridor said: “It is great news that the committee recognised by granting us planning permission that our proposed ERF is the right solution for South London’s waste challenge and is one that will deliver real economic, social and environmental benefits. It is a safe and cost-effective long-term alternative to landfill, recovering resources and reducing costs to the tax payer.”

He said the local community should be reassured by the Environment Agency’s recent announcement they were “minded” to grant an Environmental Permit to operate the facility.