Behind the scenes at the Newhaven incinerator

Its official title is “Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility”.

And to be fair, there is more to its work than merely burning our unrecyclable rubbish.

The plant in North Quay Road is a giant waste disposal unit and power station in one.

Its official opening was marked yesterday but the site has been fully operational since before Christmas.

Since the idea was first floated, people living in the area have complained the site would be a blot on the landscape, that delivery lorries would be too noisy and spread litter, and – most seriously – that the emissions from the chimney stacks could damage their health.

Facility manager Phil Preece said he felt the firm’s liaison work to tell people in Newhaven how the site works, as well as voluntary work schemes for staff and funding for local projects, is helping locals become more confident that the incinerator will not affect their quality of life.

He said: “I feel we are making a lot of progress and we have to work with the community to explain what we are doing, which is basically dealing with your and my waste.

“It is a combined strategy. It is not just about combusting or burning the waste, it is about recycling.”

There is more to the building than meets the eye. It stands 24 metres high from the outside, but extends 18 metres below ground level.

The chimney stacks are 65 metres tall. Waste is brought in on trucks and emptied in the tipping hall.

A giant claw-like “grab”, suspended from the ceiling, picks up four or five tons at a time, and drops it from a great height to mix it up.

A crane operator sits above in the site’s control room, using joysticks to manipulate the grab in the same way tourists try to grab a prize on fairground machines.

The claw then drops the waste into “feed hoppers”, where it tumbles down a chute into the incinerator.

To stop the smell of the rubbish escaping, the air from the tipping hall is sucked down to fan the flames of the incinerator.

Temperatures here reach 1,000 degrees.

The fumes from the flames are monitored on computer screens in the control room. A row of green bars show that the smoke contains safe levels of nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, dust and organic compounds, which include carcinogens.

That gas is funnelled off for treatment. Powdered lime neutralises acidic gases, while a fabric filter catches tiny particles.

Temperatures are kept above 850 degrees to prevent the formation of harmful substances.

The residue from that, which cannot be handled at the site, is sent to another Veolia plant, for more treatment or burial.

A quarter of the ash from the burner is sent for recycling, as building aggregate.

The incinerator heats two boilers, which each produce 44 tons of steam per hour.

That steam goes through pipes just 1.5ft across to power a turbine which spins at 5,300 revolutions per minute.

The steam is passed through much larger pipes, cooled, and the liquid sent back around the system.

Steam which is emitted from the chimneys can look black. The cleaned gases from the burning are invisible when they emerge.

The incinerator has been burning since June last year and became fully operational shortly before Christmas.

Veolia describes it as the “last piece in the jigsaw” of its waste management in Sussex.

Why does black smoke come out of the chimneys?

Mr Preece said: “When the hot air hits the atmosphere, it condenses. What you see are the water droplets.

“It means it has got more water vapour condensed in it because it is thicker. It is not black because it is dirty. The steam is just water.

“We don’t produce black smoke at all. It is clear all the time. The only reason you see it is the condensing effect. The effect of the sunlight hitting the water droplets also makes it look darker.”

He said the cleaned-up gases from the incineration process are invisible. They are continually monitored to keep them within safety limits.

Is the output bad for your health?

The Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards is funding a study to examine rates of birth defects within a radius of up to 15 kilometres of incinerators.

Its chairman, Justin McCracken, said: “While it is not possible to rule out adverse health effects from modern, well regulated municipal waste incinerators with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close-by is likely to be very small, if detectable.

“This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern and well managed municipal waste incinerators make only a very small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants.”

Why does Veolia want to have deliveries on bank holidays?

Managers say the burner must be fed to keep it running, so they want more flexibility to be able to bring waste in.

Mr Preece said: “It is not more vehicles or more materials, it is the same number, just on a different time period.

“We have to make sure there are enough materials to keep the burner running.

The firm’s Hollingdean depot accepts and sorts recyclable rubbish. At Whitesmith, near Ringmer, garden waste collected from around the county is turned into Pro-Grow compost.