Waste incineration is the combustion of waste at high temperatures. It includes a variety of combustion systems developed from boiler plant technology and also more novel techniques such as molten sand and fluidised bed incinerators.
Friends of the Earth Cymru is calling on:
- the National Assembly for Wales to declare a 10 year freeze on building new incinerators in Wales and to reject plans for an incinerator in Wrexham
- local councils in Wales to invest in recycling and composting rather than incinerators.
Friends of the Earth Cymru opposes incineration because:
- it destroys valuable resources
- it ties local councils into long-term contracts for waste disposal (typically over 20 years). This can stop development of recycling and composting
- it produces pollution which is potentially dangerous to human health
- it produces toxic ash which still has to be landfilled
- it makes climate change worse. When materials are burned, more fossil fuel energy is used to replace the products through mining, manufacturing, and transportation around the world. Energy from burning waste is not renewable
- it offers very few jobs. The recycling industry offers enormous potential for substantial job creation in Wales.
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