PLANS to build a huge waste treatment and recycling plant at Hartlebury have won the go-ahead from county councillors.

The multi-million pound centre on the Hartlebury Trading Estate will process 100,000 tonnes of household rubbish a year from Wychavon, Bromsgrove and Worcester, as well as Wyre Forest.

Members of the planning and regulatory committee approved the scheme, which now has to go to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for rubberstamping.

The plant will be built on greenbelt scrub on the edge of the estate and will sort waste into 60 per cent recyclable fibre, 20 per cent plastics and metals and 20 per cent residual waste for landfill.

A catalogue of conditions was attached to the approval to ensure the construction and running of the plant did not create undue noise, nuisance or any pollution, as councillors gave their approval on Tuesday last week.

Waste will be treated in high-pressure steam under low pressure to break it down into its organic and inorganic parts.

The fibre can be put to a variety of uses, including as a replacement fuel for coal-fired power stations, in the manufacture of various building products and as a soil compost.

The system, carried out by Walsall-based Estech Europe Ltd, replaces the energy-from-waste incinerator planned for Stourport Road, Kidderminster, which was abandoned following a huge public outcry.

An estimated 108 vehicle movements a day - 54 journeys in and 54 out - will be created by the plant and all vehicles carrying waste must be enclosed or covered to prevent spillages on the public roads.

A county council spokesman said all the vehicles would be district council-owned, giving greater scope for cracking down on any abuses of the conditions controlling routes, times and state of vehicles.

Construction will be allowed between the hours of 7am and 7pm Monday to Saturday and the plant's operating hours will be 6am to 10pm Mondays to Saturdays.

Vehicles will be able to enter the site between 7am and 6pm Mondays to Saturdays.

Twenty jobs will be created and it is expected to take 12 months to build the plant, which will include a visitor centre and a viewing gallery to allow people to watch the operations.