Incinerator plans up in smoke26 October 2010
Defra has withdrawn private finance initiative (PFI) funding for 7 large waste projects as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
This is great news - it means the planned projects, most of which include incinerators, are unlikely to go ahead.
Here's a list of those projects.
Thank you if you emailed the Government to stop this funding.
PFI projects tend to lead councils to build expensive and unnecessary incinerators at the expense of recycling.
This decision will prevent long waste contracts being signed, meaning over the next 30 years we'll save:
- vast amounts of resources that can be recycled instead of burnt
- energy and climate emissions that are avoided by higher recycling
- many millions of pounds of council tax money
Incinerator campaign successes
There have also been many recent victories for anti-incineration campaigners around the UK.
These include:
- an application for an incinerator in Chesterfield was refused planning permission in a 8-1 vote.
- Biffa's planned 300,000 tonne per year incinerator at Shepshed in Leicestershire was refused planning permission.
- plans for a massive incinerator in Coventry were defeated after a 5 year battle. This project is also one of the 7 that has lost its PFI funding.
- Shropshire Council unanimously turned down Veolia's plans for an incinerator at Battlefield, Shrewsbury, despite recommendations from planning officers that they should approve the application.
These wins are testament to the long and tireless hard work of committed activists - and to the UK Without Incineration Network.
Many other campaigners are still fighting proposals all over the UK.
Please help fulfill their vision of a zero waste society - call for the Government to set a high recycling target.
