What happens to general rubbish?
Find out what happens to the general rubbish that is collected from your household and recycling centres.
Where your general rubbish goes
One of the key ambitions in the Waste Strategy for Essex was to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030. We are pleased that we have met this target early, and all general rubbish in Essex is being taken to an Energy from Waste (EfW) plant near Braintree. EfW is the process of taking waste and turning it into energy and heat.
The plant is operated by a private company called Indaver.
The best thing we can do for the environment is to decrease the amount of waste being produced in the first place. After we all reuse, recycle and compost everything we can, it is important to generate energy from the non-recyclable rubbish that is left.
Page updated 9 September 2025