PRESS RELEASE

Friday 24 September 2010

SECOND ROUND OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON PROPOSED SUFFOLK ENERGY-FROM-WASTE FACILITY LAUNCHED

SITA UK is starting its second round of pre-application community engagement on proposals for an energy-from-waste facility at Great Blakenham that would save over 250,000 tonnes of household and business waste from being sent to landfill each year.

The proposed facility would use modern, proven technology to produce energy from over 250,000 tonnes of waste a year. Once fully operational, the facility would produce enough electricity to power 30,000 homes - equivalent to a town around the size of Lowestoft - and would create around 43 new, long-term jobs for Suffolk. The facility would avoid the equivalent of 75,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year and would provide a cost effective alternative to landfilling waste, which is costing council tax payers more every year.

Commenting on the second round of public engagement, James Dowell, SITA UK Project Manager, said:

“We were very pleased with the feedback that we received at our first round of exhibitions. Since then, we have carried out additional surveys into issues such as traffic, air quality and the visual appearance of the facility. This means that we will have more detailed information for members of the public.

“We are also pleased to be taking the exhibition across Suffolk. Because this facility would serve the whole county, we felt it was important that as many people as possible have the opportunity to speak to us directly about the proposal.”

Suffolk residents will be able to look at the plans, view what the facility would look like, speak to the development team and submit their views on the project at the public exhibitions at Great Blakenham Village Hall, Mill Lane, on:

Sunday 26 September 2010 from 10am-3pm

Monday 27 September 2010 from 12pm-6.30pm


The exhibition will then move to locations across Suffolk so that more people have the opportunity to find out about this county-wide solution for dealing with the waste left after recycling. Details of these exhibitions are as follows:

·  Tuesday 5th October (11am to 4.30pm) at the Rutland Arms Hotel, 33 High Street, Newmarket, CB8 8NB

·  Thursday 7th October (11am-5pm) Unit 10, Cornhill Walk Shopping Centre, Brentgovel Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1EJ

·  Friday 8th October (10am-4pm) at Tower Ramparts Shopping Centre, Tavern Street, Ipswich, IP1 3BB

·  Tuesday 12th October (2pm-8pm) at St Peter’s Church, Market Hill, Sudbury, CO10 2EA

·  Thursday 14th October (1.30pm-4.30pm) at Felixstowe Library, Crescent Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7BY

·  Tuesday 26th October (12pm-6pm) at Lowestoft Library, Clapham Road South, Lowestoft NR32 1DR

SITA UK – one of the country’s leading recycling and resource management companies – was selected by Suffolk County Council as its Preferred Bidder for a 25-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) energy-from-waste facility contract. Contract award is subject to a decision by Suffolk County Council’s cabinet, which is expected to take place in late September .

ENDS

SITA UK

SITA UK, a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, is a recycling and resource management company, generating environmental value, social value and economic value from our nation’s waste. The company delivers environmentally responsible and increasingly innovative solutions for the public, local government, industry and commerce, enabling our customers to reduce their impact on the environment. SITA UK serves over 12 million people and handles more than 9 million tonnes of domestic, commercial and industrial waste through a network of recycling, composting, energy-from-waste and landfill facilities. SITA UK employs over 5,500 staff and has an annual turnover in excess of £750 million.

SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT

Natural resources are not infinite. Each day, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT (Paris: SEV, Brussels: SEVB) and its subsidiaries deal with the challenge to protect resources by providing innovative solutions to industries and to millions of people. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT supplies drinking water to 90 million people, provides wastewater treatment services for 58 million people and collects the waste produced by 46 million people. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT has 65,900 employees and, with its presence on a global scale, is the world’s leader exclusively dedicated to environmental services. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, a 35.4% GDF SUEZ affiliate, reported sales turnover of 12.3 billion euros at the end of financial year 2009.

For further information contact:

PPS Group

Julian Seymour 02075291714 /

SITA UK

Anthony Durston 01628 513244 /

SITA UK will provide the proposed energy-from-waste facility at Great Blakenham on behalf of Suffolk County Council (the waste disposal authority)

For questions relating to Suffolk County Council contact:

Jim Aldridge 01473 260 270 /

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