What is The Impact of Burning Waste on UK Emissions?
The average British civilian will know which bins to place which items in, and which days put those bins on the curbside. Beyond that... well, it's best to think about it too much.
The sad truth of the matter is that the UK (and the world in general) has a big waste problem. According to scientists, only 9% of the nation's plastic is recycled, and that's not to mention all the other materials we use. Much of the rest of our rubbish goes to landfills or to incinerators, where it is squirrelled away or burned.
Neither of these solutions are ideal, but it's quickly becoming clear that incineration is one of the UK's most pressing problems.
New BBC research has shown that, since coal has been phased out, burning household rubbish for electricity has quickly become the most polluting power generation method in the UK. These waste incinerators swallow nearly half of the country's domestic rubbish, creating around 3.1% of the nation’s energy output but posing substantial environmental threats.
The scale of the problem
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has flagged rising concerns about the growth in emissions caused by incineration.
Initially, incineration was seen as a green solution to mounting landfill problems: a two-pronged solution that removed waste and addressed increasing energy demands. However, the practice is proving extremely harmful, especially when oil-based plastics are involved.
The environmental cost of this form of energy is considerable. Energy from waste is five times more polluting than the UK electricity average, with plastic waste in incinerators producing 175 times more CO2 than if it were landfilled, according to BBC research.
Climate advocacy group Greenpeace warns that incinerating dense plastic releases over two tonnes of CO2 for every tonne burned.
The impact incineration will have on the UK's climate goals
Experts like Dr Ian Williams from the University of Southampton have called the rampant growth in waste incineration facilities a “disaster for the climate,” stressing the absurdity of the situation where increasing use of incinerators directly conflicts with carbon reduction goals.
Even more troubling is the ongoing expansion of incineration facilities worldwide, which hinders global efforts to cut emissions and challenges the progress towards achieving clean energy targets.
Professor Keith Bell of the CCC says: "If the current government is serious about clean power by 2030 then we cannot allow ourselves to be locked into just burning waste."
Is the UK's incineration problem also a racism and classism problem?
The UK's increasing reliance on waste incineration contradicts its assent to the global push for net zero emissions. The practice not only affects climate on a macro scale, but also compromises local air quality and public health.
What's more, it has been found that the least economically stable in the country are often those who live within closest proximity to incinerators, making them most likely to suffer the chronic health problems associated with air pollution.
Because of this, Greenpeace goes as far as to label the UK's incinerator problem as "racist and classist".
A new approach to waste is required
Thankfully, the problems of waste incineration are not unknown to those in charge.
Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also takes charge of the UK government's overarching waste strategy.
After Labour's election he ordered his department to create a roadmap to a zero waste economy as a number one priority. It remains to be seen what this roadmap will look like and whether incinerators will be phased out in a similar way to coal power stations.
Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet & Plastic Health Council, said of the nation's waste problem: "Now is the time for ambition and for the UK to lead. Piecemeal bans and tired models of recycling won't cut it... Clear and comprehensive policy that takes a long-term vision over short-term tokenism is the only vehicle to fight the impact of plastic on our bodies and planet."
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