AN incinerator which could turn household rubbish from Worcestershire and Herefordshire into electricity may be built at Hartlebury, near Stourport-on-Severn.

The EnviRecover plant could generate enough power to serve a town the size of Kidderminster, according to plans revealed yesterday by contractor Mercia Waste Manage-ment (MWM).

If given the go-ahead, the plant, costing £120 million, would be built on a vacant plot of industrial land at Hartlebury Trading Estate.

The location has been chosen following the consideration of several opt-ions including one at the edge of Worcester, as previously reported by your Worcester News.

The incinerator, running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, would take up to 200,000 tonnes of waste each year left over after recycling and composting.

It would use it to generate 15.5 megawatts of renewable energy – enough for 20,000 homes.

The plant would also create heat which could be used by businesses on the industrial estate.

Outlining the plans, MWM director John Plant said that in the long-term, the incinerator could save Worcestershire and Here-fordshire between £20 and £25 million in landfill taxes.

It would incinerate rubbish that could not be recycled – such as street sweepings which could be contaminated with oil or petrol or extremely large items that could not be broken down. Mr Plant said he understood people may feel concerned but added: “There’s no significant evidence to suggest that these facilities cause harm. We would not be promoting this if we believed there was any risk to residents or to our employees.”

He also reassured local people there would be no visible plumes of smoke.

He said: “You should not see, hear or smell anything from this.”

A planning application for the incinerator – which would be sunk eight metres (24ft) into the ground and stand 35 metres (115ft) above ground – will be submitted in March 2010.

If successful, the incineratior could be operational by 2014. MWM has started to discuss its plans with councillors and will be delivering leaflets to homes near to where the incinerator is expected to be built.

Worcestershire County Councillor Anthony Blagg welcomed the proposal and said: “Our recent review of the Joint Mun-icipal Waste Management Strategy reinforced the need to find a solution for dealing with the remainder of the household waste in a way that maximises the recovery of resources and energy.”