What happens to your rubbish?

Energy Recovery Facilities

Most of the non-recyclable waste collected from homes in Hampshire is taken to one of three Energy Recovery Facilities (ERFs) located in Marchwood (pictured), Chineham and Portsmouth.

These facilities safely incinerate the waste and use the heat from this process to create steam, in turn generating electricity which is fed to the National Grid. Each year the three facilities together create the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 50,000 homes.

Landfill

There is now only one landfill site open in Hampshire for disposing of household waste, and this is anticipated to be full within 5-10 years. Thanks to the county's recycling efforts and the three Energy Recovery Facilities (ERFs), Hampshire sends just 10% of its household waste to landfill - that's less than any other UK county council.

The County Council is also responsible for 11 closed former landfill sites, ensuring that they are returned to nature as best as possible. This includes working with the Recreation and Heritage Department to restore heathland and countryside sites, such as Somerley closed landfill pictured here.