Renewable energy made from waste

A company in Swindon has developed technology which it claims turns household rubbish into clean renewable energy.

A company in Wiltshire has claimed it is one of the first in the UK to turn household rubbish into clean renewable energy using "gas plasma technology".

Advanced Plasma Power (APP) said its small-scale plant in Swindon sends less than 1% of waste back to landfill.

The process uses a beam of electrified gas at temperatures approaching 10,000C to destroy waste turning it into a flammable gas generating electricity.

It hopes to create jobs around the new technology developed in Swindon.

'Electricity generated'

Andrew Hamilton, of APP, said: "We see great potential to develop and exploit the technology for the benefit of not only us but we hope it will create substantial jobs in the area."

Dr Tim Johnson, of APP, said: "The reality is, that if waste is not turned into a fuel like this then it would have to go to landfill, so we're diverting material from landfill to make fuel."

The process is called "plasma gasification" - all recyclable materials such as glass and metals are removed and the remaining waste is then transformed into a hydrogen-rich gas. When the gas is then burned in the reactor electricity is generated.

APP claims that a full-scale plant could process 50,000 tonnes of waste annually.