Plans To Replace Ageing City Incinerator

20 February 2026
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Richard PriceWest Midlands


Plans to replace an aging incinerator with a more effective one are because of be examined by .


A brand-new energy healing plant, for Hanford, near Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, would power the equivalent of about 50,000 homes, the authority said.


They included it might also produce a "substantial" earnings which might be reinvested into local recycling and net zero plans.


The contract for the existing incinerator at Hanford ends in March 2030, when it will be 35 years old and at the end of its functional life.


The project could likewise be a significant factor to the city's district heating network to provide public buildings with low-carbon heating and warm water, powered by geothermal energy, a spokesperson stated.


The city board's cabinet is being asked to begin a formal procurement process to find an organisation to partner with, who might invest, design, construct and run the brand-new facility.


That process was expected to take 18 months, with the proposed facility arranged to be up and running in 2032.


Cabinet member Finlay Gordon-McCusker said the existing facility had actually burnt more than four million tonnes of rubbish given that it opened in 1995, supplying a "sustainable option" to landfill.


The council desired to think about an "entrepreneurial" technique to running the center, he added.


Waste increase


This would include a more significant in advance financial investment than other options, Gordon-McCusker said.


But it was anticipated that the authority would earn a profit from the plan in the longer term, he declared, through the sale of electricity and heat along with charges charged to other organisations using the site for their waste.


The new website could deal with about 230,000-290,000 tonnes of waste each year, which would be a boost of between 10-38% of current levels.


A public consultation will run during March and April.