THE Lakeside Energy from Waste recycling facility has opened its doors to the public for the third year running.

The facility in Lakeside Road, Colnbrook – a joint venture between Grundon Waste Management and Viridor – hosted free, half-day visits for several groups ranging from school children to grandparents.

Many of the visitors were used to driving past the facility with no idea what it was and were fascinated to see the operations at first hand – particularly the control room and the burn port.

Feedback on the day included suggestions that from a very early age it should be compulsory to educate students about recycling and energy from waste, with mandatory site visits so students – and their parents – can really understand the need to 'put the right stuff in to the right bin'.

Presentations in the circular Education Centre were variously described by visitors as 'enlightening, reassuring, interesting and fascinating'.

Viridor’s Jessica Baker-Pike and Lakeside’s Ruth Roll, who hosted the tours, were delighted by both the turnout and the feedback.

Ms Roll said: “It was quite a challenge to host such mixed age groups with very different levels of knowledge and understanding of recycling and energy from waste.

“However, all our visitors agreed that by the time they had completed their tours, their eyes had been well and truly opened to the need to make sure they carefully checked their local authority web sites, to clarify exactly what they should put in each of their bins – and why”.