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Foe hits out at pro-burning waste strategy.
25 May 2000
The Government's new waste strategy, published today, has failed to remove the threat of scores of new incinerators being built in communities across the country, Friends of the Earth said today (see likely locations attached). Whilst the strategy sets new recycling targets, it has failed to provide the money for them to be met. Friends of the Earth is calling for the much discredited landfill tax credit scheme to be abolished and the £70 million a year raised to be used to back local authority recycling schemes. Friends of the Earth fears that the waste strategy could leave the UK at the bottom of the league for recycling. In the Netherlands, for example, over 40 per cent of household waste is recycled and the authorities are aiming for 60 per cent by the end of this year (league tables attached).
Last week the Conservatives said that if elected they would recycle 50 per cent of waste by 2020 and promised to give every household in Britain a high quality doorstep recycling service. Earlier this week the Liberal Democrats promised to put in place a presumption against landfill and incineration.
Mike Childs, Senior Waste Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“This waste strategy is not good enough. Whilst it makes promises to increase recycling it fails to provide local authorities with the money to do so. It says it will support tough new standards for incineration but waste which give off dioxins and dangerous heavy metals will still be allowed to be burnt. However much the Government tries to pull the wool over people's eyes, the truth is that this strategy is pro-incineration. Communities up and down the country will continue to fight incinerators and Friends of the Earth will help them.”
HOUSEHOLD WASTE INCINERATORS IN ENGLAND
LONDON - SELCHP, Lewisham - 420,000 tonne plant existing ; Edmonton - 600,000 tonne plant existing ; Edmonton expansion - a 300,000 tonne expansion proposal ; Alperton ; Battersea ; Belvedere -proposal for a 585,000 tonne plant
SOUTH EAST - Ridham Dock, Swale, Sittingbourne, Kent - 260,000 t incinerator planned ; Allington, Maidstone,Kent - 500,000 tonne EfW incinerator to be built. ; Halling, Kent ; Canterbury, Kent ; Richborough, Kent ; Marchwood industrial park, New Forest, Southampton, Hampshire - 165,000 tonne incinerator proposed ; Portsmouth, Hampshire - Hampshire Waste Services (Onyx) planning a 165,000 t plant. ; Southampton,Hampshire ; Chineham, Basingstoke, Hampshire -Onyx are constructing and 90,000 tonne plant ; Copyhold,Redhill, Reigate and Banstead BC, Surrey - Proposal for 225,000 tonne plant ; Clockhouse Brickworks, Capel, near Dorking, Surrey - planning a 110,000 t plant. ; Slyfield, Guilford, Surrey - incinerator planned ; Chitchester,Sussex ; Newhaven, E Sussex - Identified in Brighton and Hove/East Sussex draft waste local plan ; Beddingham,E Sussex -Identified in Brighton and Hove/East Sussex draft waste local plan ; Lakeside Road, Colnbrook, Slough,Berkshire - 440,000 tonne EfW facility to be built ; Slough.
SOUTH WEST - Hayle ; Avonmouth, Bristol ; Castle Cary, Somerset ; Wellington, Somerset ; Bodmin,Cornwall ; Redruth, Cornwall ; Exeter, Devon ; Keynsham, Bath and North East Somerset - incinerator proposal ; Whiteparish, Wiltshire - incinerator proposal.
WEST MIDLANDS - Coventry - 160,000 tonne plant existing. ; Tyseley, Birmingham - 370,000 tonne plant existing. ; Dudley - 90,000 tonne plant existing. ; Wolverhampton - 105,000 tonne plant existing. ; Stoke on Trent- 200,000 tonne plant existing. ; Kidderminster - £500,000,000 PFI contract for incinerator to be built ; Coseley ; Worcester DC - 100,000 tonne plant planned.
EAST MIDLANDS -Nottingham - 150,000 tonne plant being expanded to 250,000 ; Boston ; Grantham, Lincolnshire.
EASTERN -Pitsea ,Basildon, Essex ; Rivenhall Airfield, Near Braintree, Essex ; Rainham, Essex ; Dagenham,Essex ; Vange, Fobbing, Essex.
YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE - Sheffield - 135,000 tonne plant existing. ; Hull - proposal 165,000 tonne plant ; Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire - planning a 400,000 tonne EfW plant ; Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire -planning a 55,000 t EfW plant. ; Huddersfield- planning a 136,000t plant.; Doncaster.
NORTH EAST - Stockton on Tees, Cleveland - 250,000 tonne plant existing. Planning application for a 120,000 t expansion. ; Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne - incinerator existing ; Philadelphia power Project, Tyne and Wear ; Blyth, Northumberland ; Bedlington, Northumberland ; Durham ; Newton Aycliffe, County Durham .
NORTH WEST - Bolton - a 130,000 tonne plant existing., currently being upgraded. ; Ardwick ; Manchester ; Stockport ; Newton Heath ; Salford .
NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING RATES
| NATION | MSW RATE | TARGET RATE | SOURCE |
| SWITZERLAND | 52% |
| Swiss Environment Agency |
| NETHERLANDS | 45% | 60%by 2000 | Dutch Environment Ministry |
| AUSTRIA | 45% in 1996 |
| Austrian Federal Waste Management Plan 1998 |
| NORWAY | 34% |
| Statistics Norway |
| SWEDEN | 33% in 1997 |
| Swedish EPA |
| USA | 31.5% | 35% by 2005 | Biocycle annual nationwide survey |
| GERMANY | 30% in 1993 |
| Environmental Data Germany 1998 |
| FINLAND | 30% in 1997 |
| ETSU for DTI |
| CANADA | 29% in 1997 |
| ETSU for DTI |
| DENMARK | 28% | 40-50%by 2000 | Danish Environmental Protection Agency |
| ENGLAND and WALES | 8% | 30% by 2010 | A Way with Waste - the Government Waste Strategy |
| SCOTLAND | 5.7% |
| Scottish Accounts Commission |
EUROPEAN GLASS RECYCLING 1998
Source: FEVE
| COUNTRY | RATE |
| Switzerland | 91% |
| Sweden | 84% |
| Netherlands | 84% |
| Norway | 81% |
| Germany | 81% |
| Finland | 69% |
| Austria | 65% |
| Denmark | 63% |
| France | 55% |
| UK | 24% |
EUROPEAN STEEL RECYCLING 1998
Source: APEAL
| COUNTRY | RATE |
| Germany | 81% |
| Sweden | 71% |
| Netherlands | 71% |
| Austria | 70% |
| Switzerland | 63% |
| Belgium | 64% |
| France | 47% |
| Spain | 26% |
| UK | 25% |
| Luxembourg | 10% |
ALUMINIUM CAN RECYCLING 1998, Source: European Aluminium Association
| COUNTRY | RATE |
| Switzerland | 89% |
| Sweden | 87% |
| Germany | 86% |
| Finland | 84% |
| Norway + Iceland | 80% |
| Benelux | 66% |
| Austria | 50% |
| UK | 38% |
| Spain | 21% |
| France | 19% |
The Best and the Worst 25 Local Authorities Recyclers
(From Audit Commission figures 98-99)
| Worst Authorities | Rate |
| Best Authorities | Rate |
| Wansbeck | 0.9% |
| Bournemouth | 37% |
| Durham | 1.0% |
| Castle Morpeth | 36.6% |
| Corby | 1.3% |
| Dorset | 32.7% |
| Sedgefield | 1.4% |
| Poole | 27.6% |
| Sunderland | 1.4% |
| Forest Heath | 25.2% |
| Caradon | 1.4% |
| Chiltern | 24.4% |
| Ashfield | 1.5% |
| Sutton | 24.1% |
| Mansfield | 1.6% |
| Eastleigh | 24.1% |
| Northumberland | 1.6% |
| Bexley | 24% |
| Derbyshire | 1.6% |
| St Edmundsbury | 24% |
| Shropshire | 1.7% |
| Hampshire | 22.8% |
| Derwentside | 1.7% |
| Cheshire | 22.6% |
| Chester-le-street | 1.8% |
| New Forest | 22% |
| Wear Valley | 1.8% |
| Tandridge | 20.6% |
| Blyth Valley | 1.9% |
| Devon | 20.2% |
| Bolsover | 1.9% |
| Surrey Heath | 19.9% |
| Boston | 2.1% |
| Mid Sussex | 19.9% |
| Liverpool | 2.2% |
| South Bucks | 19.7% |
| Wigan | 2.2% |
| East Dorset | 19.7% |
| Cannock Chase | 2.4% |
| Essex | 19.1% |
| North East Derbyshire | 2.4% |
| Reigate & Banstead | 19% |
| North Yorkshire | 2.4% |
| Test Valley | 18.7% |
| North Cornwall | 2.4% |
| Swindon | 18.2% |
| Alnwick | 2.4% |
| Croydon | 18.1% |
| Northamptonshire | 2.5% |
| Peterborough | 18% |
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
