Archived press release

Thumbs down for incinerator plan

9 April 2001

Worcestershire County Council today voted against plans for a controversial new incinerator at Kidderminster. The decision by the Planning and Regulatory Committee is a victory for local campaigners who have fought the multi-million pound proposal.

The 11-2 committee decision also highlights the need for a Government review of its waste policy.Last month a committee of MPs slammed the Government's waste strategy for leaving “the door open to a big expansion of large scale incineration of household waste.” Incineration, they said “will never play a major role in truly sustainable management”. Communities across the country are now fighting plans to build new incinerators or expand existing ones.

Worcestershire County Council received 1500 letters of objection to the proposal and 15,000 people signed an anti-incinerator petition. Campaigners fought the proposal because it would have burnt waste that should be recycled, threaten health and led to increases in traffic.

Clare Cassidy of SKI said:
“We are absolutely delighted with this decision. It shows that people power can really work.Kidderminster does not need a new incinerator, it needs a comprehensive plan of waste minimisation and recycling. Hopefully the County Council will now address this issue as a matter of urgency”.

The West Midlands already has 5 incinerators, more than any other English region. FOE is calling for more recycling and composting. Every household in the country should have a doorstep recycling scheme - instead of more landfill or incineration. Up to 80% of household waste could be recycled and composted. Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands all recycle over 50%. Worcestershire only recycles 10% of its household waste, and does not even have a local waste plan.

Sarah Oppenheimer, Waste Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“This is a tremendous victory for the people of Kidderminster and for commonsense.Communities fighting similar proposals around the country are sure to take heart. Today's decision also sends a powerful message to the Government to review its waste strategy. Their current policy encourages more and more incineration at the expense of recycling .”

To avoid the need for new incinerators, FOE wants all MPs to support doorstep recycling to every house - a policy backed by Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, but not yet by Labour.

[1] Communities fighting incinerators include Guildford, Hull, East Sussex, Maidstone, Byker (Newcastle),Portsmouth and Edmonton.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust