How waste is turned into electricity is just one of the snippets of information you might learn about during a visit to The Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility.

During our tour, we are joined by a group from a church in Seaford and after watching a safety video, followed by a health and safety questionnaire, we are on our way.

As we wander around the vast site with our guide, we learn that it was the first of its kind in the area and that the waste that arrives from across East Sussex each year is turned into enough electricity to power 25,000 homes. And last year 240,000 tonnes of waste was burnt at the site.

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How?

• The waste is moved by a crane grate, where air is used to help combustion while it’s being burnt.
• The flue gases leaving the boiler are treated to neutralise them, before being filtered, so that clean gas leaves the chimney stack.
• Power is created by a generator connected to the turbine.

Did you know?

• On average, every household produces one tonne of waste a year.
• In East Sussex we throw out 126 thousand tonnes of waste from our homes every year.
• Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose.
• Recycling one tonne of plastic bottles can save 1.5 tonnes of carbon.
• In Britain we throw away 28 million tonnes of rubbish from our homes.

Veolia manage waste and recycling for East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council. If you would like to book a tour, email Rob.Allen@Veolia.com To find out the Christmas opening hours for recycling sites across East Sussex visit Veolia

For recycling tips visit East Sussex County Council or the East Sussex Joint Waste Partnership