OPERATORS of North Yorkshire's enormous incinerator and waste disposal unit at Allerton are offering the public the chance to tour it on Wednesday - virtually.

Physical visits to the site next the A1(M) just north of the A59/A1(M) junction have been cancelled since March.

Instead, the site operators, Amey, are giving people the chance to see how it works and how they can manage their own waste on pre-booked virtual visits via their website. Those attending can also ask questions about the site and waste.

The Allerton Waste Recovery Park (AWRP) continued to work during lockdown, with only keyworker staff on site and others working from home or on rotation.

Colin Fletcher, account director, said: “I am very proud of our key workers. It has been a difficult and stressful time and despite the challenges they have continued to deliver the excellent service we have come to expect from everyone here at AWRP”.

Amey says that since it opened in March 2018, it has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes by recovering materials and energy from household waste.

It deals with non-recycled waste from York and North Yorkshire that would otherwise have been sent to landfill.