Small Scale | ■ Bring sites ■ Civic amenity sites ■ Local transfer facilities |
Medium Scale | ■ Large transfer stations ■ Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) • Anaerobic digestion (AD) |
Large Scale | ■ Thermal treatment facilities ■ Integrated sites incorporating a number of different treatment options |
Footprints and heights of buildings will vary according to the nature of the technology being used and the configuration of operational processes. One common determining factor for most waste facilities is that the internal space and vehicular door openings need to accommodate the height of a raised tipper lorry. As an example this requires the door openings to be 7 metres in height with the building eaves often at a height of approximately 12 metres. This is a similar scale to many commercial distribution buildings.
Energy from waste plants stand out as the most imposing of new waste facilities. Some new technologies have been marketed on the basis that they can reduce the overall bulk of the buildings and the height of stacks, making them more suited to a wider range of potential sites. Nevertheless, the scale of buildings present considerable design challenges that makes 'fitting in' with the existing fabric often inappropriate or impossible.