Read our new report on the expansion of EfW incineration in England that is on a collision course with the UK’s 65% recycling target for 2035 and the 2050 net-zero carbon target.
Our new analysis urgent government action to prevent the realisation of 50 new incinerators in England in addition to 49 operational plants. All of which have obtained government planning approval and are due to become operational by 2030.
If EfW capacity expands as planned:
The waste sector would emit 28 million tonnes of CO2 in 2035, endangering the UK’s net-zero carbon target.
Only 34% of total waste arisings would be available for recycling in 2035, not the 65% mandated by UK law.
EfW incineration capacity will exceed England’s incineration need by 15 million tonnes by 2035 (27 million tonnes of capacity v. a need of 12 million tonnes).
Our analysis points to an urgent need for measures that can stop the expansion of EfW incineration capacity and redirect investments towards reuse and recycling.
The UK government can achieve these goals by:
introducing an EfW incineration tax per tonne of incinerated input, similar to the landfill tax.
passing a regulation to restrict EfW incinerators to burning fuels with a low fossil carbon content
reevaluating existing planning permissions to prevent EfW incineration overcapacity and ensure compatibility with the UK’s 65% recycling and 2050 net-zero targets
instituting a carbon charge at the point of emission to cost carbon emissions and thereby level the playing field to correct market distortions.
These measures as part of the shift to the circular economy are needed if the UK is to secure green jobs and add £1.6 billion in annual recycling revenue.
The 2020s are poised to witness the doubling of England’s EfW incineration capacity: 49 plants with a capacity of 14.2 million tonnes (as of June 2021) are to be joined by 50 new facilities, while only 2 plants are to be decommissioned, resulting in a net added capacity of 12.9 million tonnes.
Thus, by 2030, England is to have 97 EfW incinerators that require 27 million tonnes of waste per year to run at capacity, even though the UK’s 65% recycling target for 2035 means that the country needs less than half that treatment capacity.
The ongoing expansion of EfW incineration capacity is at odds with the UK’s legally binding recycling targets and threatens the UK’s 2050 net-zero carbon imperative.
