PLANS for a new waste recycling facility in Canterbury, which is claimed to be one of the cleanest processes available, go on show on Friday.

The multi-million pound plant is called SWERF - or Solid Waste to Energy and Recycling Facility - and is proposed for Bretts Waste Management site at Shelford.

If the operation gets permission it will significantly cut the amount of waste being dumped in the landfill site. Every household produces around a ton of rubbish every year and the city council has to meet tough Government-dictated recycling targets.

In March the authority will roll out a green bag recycling scheme with every household in the district encouraged to do their bit.

Although a detailed planning application is not expected to be lodged until the summer, an exhibition outlining the principles of the new technology is being held at St Stephen's Community Centre in Tenterden Drive, Canterbury, on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday.

The SWERF plant will be operated by its developer Brightstar and is said to offer significant benefits over alternative systems, including incineration. It works by steam-heating the waste in a kind of giant pressure cooker which reduces all organic material to a pulp.

While any hard materials left behind are removed, the pulp is dried and converted into a synthetic gas which in turn is used to generate electricity. The process will deal with all waste which has not already been collected in the council's household green bag scheme.

It will compliment Bretts' existing Materials Recycling Facility at Hersden. Brett Waste Management is the county council's preferred tenderer to operate new contract to deal with household waste from Ashford, Dover and Swale, as well as Canterbury and Thanet.

Managing director Alistair Finlayson said: "Before the planning application is submitted an environmental impact assessment will be carried out which will address all the issues including traffic concerns."