Halting The Build of Waste Incineration Plants?

Following the news that the all-party parliamentary group on air pollution wants the expansion of new waste incineration plants to be stopped to protect human health and cut carbon emissions, Dr Stephen Wise said:

“News that the all-party parliamentary group on air pollution wants to halt the build of new waste incineration plants is incredibly welcome. As the climate crisis worsens, we have to ask ourselves why we are still sending so much waste to conventional mass burn Energy from Waste (EfW) plants when it’s a high cost form of disposal that doesn’t extract the full value from waste? It’s a pressing question, especially as the technology is already there to unlock the value of waste for the circular economy, reduce costs and lower CO2.

“If we are to drive real, lasting and improved behaviours regarding waste we really have to stop building more EfW plants. As well as contributing to air pollution and busy roads, EfW plants are a highly inefficient form of disposal. Stopping the build of more plants would drive greater uptake of greener alternatives, encourage waste producers to really understand the waste journey and their options and perhaps most importantly, help to make waste a more valuable commodity for the circular economy.”