Waste incineration becomes most polluting energy source in UK as contracts block reductions

Almost half of the UK’s trash, including plastic packaging, is incinerated in waste-to-energy plants around the country, a new investigation has found. The research shows that there are now 52 incinerator sites, providing 3.1% to the national energy supply, which produce almost the same level of GHG emissions as the burning of coal (which has now been ended entirely). 

Dozens of new plants are currently being planned, and existing ones are growing in capacity, found the BBC investigation. Almost half of all UK incinerators were approved for capacity increases by the Environment Agency without applying for a new permit, despite it requiring public consultation. 

Increasing amounts of waste burned at the incinerators are fossil-based plastics, which produce the most amount of emissions. According to official government statistics, plastic incineration produces 175 times more carbon dioxide (CO2) than landfilling. 

Sian Sutherland, co-founder of advocacy group A Plastic Planet & Plastic Health Council, tells Packaging Insights: “The truth is the growth of waste incineration is a direct result of the rampant production of single-use packaging and products which is set to increase at an even faster rate.”

“The local authorities and governments are left to deal with the mountain of toxic waste produced by industry, each and every person suffering the health consequences.”

A map of current incinerator sites in the UK. Image credit: BBC.“Burning plastic isn’t the problem. It’s producing it in the first place. We’ve been burning a vast amount of plastic waste for years, and it’s happening across the world, so this report is nothing new. The incineration of plastic that has momentarily been in the form of a bottle or a bag is simply burning fossil fuels, and we know where that has got us.” 

Contract restrictions and recycling 

The BBC says that even if local authorities wanted to reduce their use of energy-from-waste plants, they are often unable to due to restrictive, long-term contracts.

The BBC made Freedom of Information requests to every UK local authority responsible for disposing of waste, revealing at least £30 billion (US$39 billion) worth of contracts with waste operators involving incinerators, some lasting more than 20 years.

Alice Rackley, CEO of packaging technology company Polytag, says: “The news that incinerating household waste is now the dirtiest way the UK produces power should come as no surprise.” 

“Those in the know have been fighting for greener practices for years. We understand that burning is bad. After all, that is why people are switching to electric cars. Yet, when it comes to recycling packaging and household waste, the incentives don’t seem to be as compelling as a shiny electric vehicle.” 

“The solution is simple: reduce household waste incineration and increase the recycling rate for single-use plastics. Consumer education on the benefits of recycling, paired with effective incentives, is crucial. But this isn’t solely the responsibility of consumers. Brands and retailers must lead the way in driving these incentives and encouraging people to recycle from the source.”

Rackley says connected technologies can play a pivotal role here, incentivizing and educating consumers to recycle properly.