Incinerator Capacity

Thank you for contacting me about incinerator capacity.

I understand your concerns regarding waste incineration and your desire for a better recycling society. While incineration with energy recovery plays a crucial role in diverting waste from landfill, I agree that this must not compete with greater prevention, re-use and recycling of waste.

The Government is developing a renewed strategy on resources and waste that looks ahead at opportunities outside the EU. The aim of the strategy will be to make the UK a world leader in resource efficiency and productivity, as well as to increase competitiveness. It will set out how we will work towards our ambition for the country to generate no avoidable waste by 2050, maximising the value we extract from our resources and minimising the negative environmental impacts associated with their production, use and disposal. The strategy will be published in 2018 and will address waste treatment capacity.

The National Infrastructure Commission is also looking at waste as part of its assessment of the UK's major infrastructure needs on a 30-year time horizon. I have been assured that Ministers will consider the Commission's findings along with any capacity issues associated with waste infrastructure as they develop future policy.

On a local perspective when incinerators are proposed it is incredibly important that the responsible authorities take care to ensure these are correctly located and that local people make representations to help ensure the right decisions are taken.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.