Government proposes massive increase in incineration
From www.foe.co.uk, April 2006
The government has launched a draft review of the England waste strategy for consultation. This proposes an increase in recycling targets to 50% by 2020 but also a massive increase in incineration. England currently recycles or composts 23% of its household waste, compared to 53% in Germany, 59% in the Netherlands and 70% in Flanders, Belgium.
UK incinerators
Friends of the Earth wants to see ambitious new national recycling targets of at least 50% by 2010 and 75% by 2015. Some English local authorities - like St Edmundsbury in Suffolk - already recycle or compost around half their household waste.
England currently has 16 incinerators. These burn 9% of our municipal waste. The Government is planning to increase incineration to 25%. At least 22 new incinerators are proposed at present. Incinerators are extremely damaging for recycling as they require long term contracts and a minimum of waste. They are also wasteful of the resources and energy that could be saved through recycling and generate hazardous, breathable ash and pollution.
The Government should tackle our waste crisis by reducing the amount we create and by recycling a lot more. Greener product design should be encouraged to eliminate waste and make products more recyclable. The waste remaining after recycling and composting should be processed, to reduce the volume of waste and avoid greenhouse gas emissions, and then landfilled.
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