[8] Former Communities Secretary Eric Pickles delayed announcing his ruling three times on whether the project would be going ahead and Liberal Democrat councillor Jeremy Hilton, described the failures to make a decision as a "disgrace".

Campaigners had requested information such as the price per tonne of waste processed and the electrical cost for third parties, to be able to assess whether the project was value for money.

[12] Construction was completed in June 2019, with the facility beginning its commissioning process and receiving its first waste as part of testing.

Oil burners are used to preheat the grate chamber to a minimum of 850 °C to allow waste combustion to begin and continue unaided.

[1] The facility is a CHP Plant so has the capability to supply hot water or lowly pressurised steam for use in heating nearby buildings.

[14][17] The gaseous products of combustion are managed with a filtration and cleansing system to ensure that flue gas emissions comply with regulations.

This process produces waste residues consisting primarily of lime and carbon (which are used to clean the flue gas before it is released into the atmosphere).

[2][16] The facility produces approximately 40,000 tonnes of incinerator bottom ash (IBA) per year, consisting mainly of brick rubble and soils, clinker, glass, ceramics and metals.

[2] The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste facility faced "fierce opposition" while the project was both being planned and constructed,[18] including from Stroud District Council.

[28][29] In April 2017, the environmental group Community R4C filed a complaint with the Competition and Markets Authority, claiming the project did not provide value for money.

[30] Community R4C took Gloucestershire County Council to the High Court in March 2020, claiming the contract was awarded to UBB unlawfully.