BBC analysis: Waste incineration now UK's dirtiest form of power generation

A comprehensive analysis by the BBC has revealed that burning household rubbish in giant incinerators to generate electricity is now the most polluting form of power generation in the UK. The investigation, which examined five years of data from across the country, found that waste incineration produces the same amount of greenhouse gases per unit of energy as coal power, which the UK abandoned last month.

The BBC's findings highlight a growing concern about the environmental disadvantages of incineration in the UK, particularly as nearly half of the rubbish produced in UK homes, including increasing amounts of plastic, is now being incinerated.

Growth of waste incineration in the UK

The number of incinerators in the UK continues to rise, with the count in England alone increasing from 38 to 52 in the past five years. This growth was initially driven by government concerns about the gases produced from landfill waste and their contribution to climate change. In response, taxes on landfill were increased, leading councils to turn to incinerators and energy-from-waste plants as an alternative.

Currently, about 3.1 per cent of the UK's energy comes from waste incinerators. While this approach was initially touted as a green alternative to landfill, particularly for food waste, the BBC's analysis challenges this presumption of environmental benefit, especially when it comes to burning plastic waste.

Environmental impact of waste incineration

The BBC's five-year analysis used data on actual pollution levels recorded by operators at their incinerators. Key findings include:

• Energy-from-waste plants are now producing the same amount of greenhouse gases per unit of electricity as if they were burning coal.
• Energy produced from waste is five times more polluting than the average UK unit of electricity.
• Plastic waste, which is increasingly being sent to incinerators, produces 175 times more carbon dioxide when burned compared to being buried in landfill.

Dr Ian Williams, professor of applied environmental science at the University of Southampton, described the current practice as "disastrous for our climate," stating that it is "at odds with our desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

The growth of incineration has coincided with stagnating recycling rates in the UK. For the past ten years, recycling rates in England have hardly changed and currently stand at around 43 per cent, falling short of the previous Conservative government's commitment for 65 per cent of UK household waste to be recycled by 2035.

Lord Deben, the Conservative environment minister who introduced the landfill tax in 1996, told the BBC: "We've got too many [incinerators], and we shouldn't have any more… they begin to distort our ability to recycle."

Long-term Contracts and 'Lock-in'

The BBC's investigation also uncovered that many local authorities are bound by long-term contracts with waste operators involving incinerators, some lasting more than 20 years. Freedom of Information requests revealed that UK local authorities have at least £30 billion worth of such contracts.

Dr Colin Church, who led an independent review of incineration for the Scottish government, stated: "'Lock-in' is a real issue, the energy-from-waste sector swears blind it's not, but it is." These contracts often include 'deliver or pay' clauses, which demand a minimum amount of waste to be sent to incinerators for burning, potentially discouraging efforts to increase recycling.

The UK government's independent advisory group, the Climate Change Committee, warns that incineration will make up an increasing part of emissions from electricity generation. They have recommended that no more plants be built without efforts to capture all their carbon emissions.

Currently, only four out of 58 incinerators in the UK have approved plans to capture their emissions, with one pilot project operating. This project at Ferrybridge EfW collects one tonne of carbon dioxide a day, but the site produces more than half a million tonnes of CO2 annually.

According to the National Coordinator of the UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN): "It is excellent that the BBC have devoted the time and resources to getting to the bottom of the incineration story, both nationally and at local levels across the UK. There are so many citizens who have raised concerns about waste incineration, and so it is affirming for the space to be provided for their voices to be heard.

“Tonight's Nightmare Next Door documentary will add to this, and we urge all those interested in resource management and the circular economy to watch this programme, and to reach out to their elected representatives to call for an immediate moratorium on new incineration capacity to provide the space for the emerging Circular Economy Task Force to do their work."

Industry Reaction

The waste management industry has responded robustly to the BBC's analysis, issuing statements defending the role of energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities and challenging some of the report's conclusions.

The Environmental Services Association (ESA), representing waste firms, cited the primary function of EfW facilities: "The vital role of energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities is to treat societal waste left over after recycling. In 2023, the United Kingdom treated circa 16 million tonnes of waste across an EfW fleet of around 60 facilities."

The ESA strongly contested the BBC's comparison of EfW emissions with other forms of energy generation: "It is simply incorrect to compare the carbon intensity of energy produced as a by-product of waste treatment with other forms of energy generation without accounting for these avoided emissions associated with landfill – since the primary role of EfW is to treat residual waste. Clearly, other forms of energy generation do not also fulfil this vital function.

"An independent report produced by consulting engineers Fichtner, in 2021, estimated that the net GHG emissions of sending one tonne of typical residual waste to landfill is 432.7 kgCO2e. By comparison, Fichtner estimated that the net GHG emissions of sending one tonne of residual waste to conventional EfW is 230.9 kgCO2e. It is therefore estimated that EfW saves approximately 200kg CO2e for every tonne of waste treated compared with landfill."

The ESA also addressed concerns about the impact of EfW on recycling rates: "The development of EfW over the past decade has been complementary to efforts to recycle more and is not an impediment to further recycling. Stagnant recycling rates are only indicative of a failure to develop recycling policies which, under the prevailing market conditions, have found their equilibrium. EfW facilities simply deal with the waste left over."

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) highlighted the sector's progress in emissions reduction: "The recycling and waste sector has reduced its overall emissions by [around] 46 per cent since 1990, the third biggest proportionate reduction of any sector, and currently produces [around] 8 per cent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.

"Energy from waste facilities are designed as a transition technology, with an average expected operational life of 25-30 years. This should enable regulatory and market development to incentivise and enable waste prevention and recycling measures to improve overall resource efficiency."

Both CIWM and ESA say there is a need for further decarbonisation. The ESA added: "Our sector has a credible decarbonisation pathway to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 with the right policy landscape. In particular, decarbonising residual waste by recycling more plastics, and deploying carbon capture and storage to EfW facilities wherever possible, will both play an important role in our pursuit of net-zero emissions and a more circular economy."

CIWM added:"UK governments, local authorities and the waste sector must work together to quickly implement the current range of significant regulatory and financial mechanisms -- including Extended Producer Responsibility, Consistent Recycling collections, Plastics Packaging Tax and the Emissions Trading Scheme for energy from waste plants -- that should significantly increase recycling levels, further decarbonise the sector, and deliver greater resource efficiency for the UK."