PLANS to put Merseyside’s rubbish mountain on a “waste train” and transport it to the North East for burning have been officially submitted.

Recycling and waste management firm SITA wants to run a rail waste transfer station at Knowsley Industrial Estate, in Kirkby.

It is one of two companies bidding to secure a 30-year contract to treat Merseyside and Halton waste that cannot be recycled.

Covanta, the other company in the running, plans to burn waste at a facility in Ince Marsh, Helsby, Cheshire.

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA), which is overseeing the huge contract, has struggled to find any local authorities willing to consider an incinerator on their land.

And burning waste in the North East or Cheshire offers a convenient solution.

Corrina Scott-Roy, Planning Manager at SITA UK, said: “Our proposal would utilise an existing rail transfer facility and with some minor alterations provide an efficient and sustainable method of transporting waste to an energy- from-waste plant which would generate heat and electricity in Teesside.

“This would mean that 500,000 tonnes of waste is put to good use, rather than being sent to landfill.”

She said residents raised a number of issues which were taken on board during a consultation period.

She said: “One recurring theme was the perceived impact on Acorn Farm [visitor attraction].

“We have been in dialogue with the farm’s management and have discussed ways in which the facility could actually help secure the future operations of the farm in its current location.”