A solar park project on a former landfill site at Elstow will generate green energy and income for taxpayers over the next 25 to 30 years, according to Bedford Borough Council.
As the solar array is expected to save 907 tonnes of carbon per year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council for the carbon cost of completing the project, including the capping the waste with clay.
A spokesperson said the council had a legal requirement to cap the site, regardless of what the land was then used for.
“So in carbon terms it should be considered separately to the solar project despite being on the same site,” they said.
“However the council are not digging the clay ourselves [sic], we are finding a local use for what could be seen as a waste product from a building site.
“The restoration materials are all being sourced locally, from as close as Wixams.
“By using this locally sourced material we are bringing local natural material into the site to restore the landfill, which we have a responsibility and duty to complete.”
The final cover, or ‘cap’ contains and protects the waste, and prevents rain and surface water percolating into the site and influencing the generation of leachate.
Leachate is the liquid formed when water filters through broken down waste buried in the landfill. This liquid is toxic and can pollute the land, groundwater and waterways.
The council spokesperson added: “By using this very local material we are reducing the chance of these materials being transported a lot further away incurring extra lorry movements, emissions and environmental impact.
“Whilst we do not have the calculations for all this work, we do know this is having an environmental benefit.”
Quality public investment should maximise a project’s positive economic, environmental, social, and development impact and create a virtuous circle of economic activities, while ensuring sound public finances. How is the council achieving this?
The spokesperson said: “This project is going to save the taxpayers of Bedford a significant amount of taxpayers money in the actual restoration works due to the council acquiring good quality local sourced restoration soils in which a royalty income is charged per tonne for the soils coming into the site, bringing an income instead of an actual significant cost to restore the closed landfill site.”
The project will also bring a long term income to the council from a site which would otherwise have little use of value due to its previous life.
“The project has been funded by South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) and also the council to use a closed 30-ha former landfill site.
“The solar array project will kick start the green energy innovation park and the work over the next four years on the site which could lead to substantial training and new job opportunities in the green energy and construction sectors.
“The project opens new green doors to private firms and other local authorities holding such brownfield sites to be more innovative in developing such sites to excellent uses like this example,” they said.
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