MPs are calling for a moratorium on the expansion of new waste incineration plants, news that will give new hope to campaigners fighting the incinerator planned for Westbury.
A report by the all-party parliamentary group on air pollution says there should be a halt put on new incinerators to protect human health and cut carbon emissions. The report, published this month, says that ultrafine particles released by incineration are a ‘significant health hazard’.
“Air pollution already kills 64,000 people across the UK each year, so government planning that will double incineration capacity by allowing the construction of 50 new waste incinerators by 2030 … should be immediately halted as it will give rise to a significant growth in ultrafine particulates, which are the most dangerous to human health,” said Geraint Davies, Labour MP and chair of the group.
“Of critical importance is that it is the number of particulates, as opposed to their combined mass, that is the key determinant for human ill health. The smallest particulates act like a gas and penetrate seamlessly into the blood stream and organs, creating damage to the hearts, brains, and lungs of victims.
He added, “It is clear … that the UK Government’s strategy needs fundamental change to decrease not increase over- all waste incineration, in line with efforts to drive down the production of waste and increase reuse and recycling, towards a sustainable future that fully respects human health and climate change.”
The parliamentary group heard evidence from Prof. Vyvyan Howard, a professor at the University of Ulster. In 2019, he served as a member of the Particulate Research Group, which found that filter systems of waste incinerators may not be effective at blocking nanoparticles (PM2.5 and smaller), raising concerns about long-term health im- pacts on communities in the vicinities of such plants.
The report said there is ‘No safe level of particulate exposure’ , backing up the concerns of local campaigners against the Westbury plant.
Dan Dmaj from the Westbury protest group WGAG/No Westbury Incinerator said the report was great news and he ‘very much welcomed the call for a moratorium on waste plants’. “The report backs up everything we’ve been saying about the impact of waste plants to health and the air quality and this time must not be ignored,” he said.
Geraint Davies added, “Plans to increase incineration in London and elsewhere should be put on hold to prevent excess capacity driving the burning of recyclable waste. The protection and improvement of air quality must become a central strategy to combat climate change and to improve human health nationally and globally.”
Wiltshire Council controversially approved plans from Northacre Renewable Energy Ltd (NREL) for a waste incinerator to be built in Westbury in June, despite large-scale opposition from Westbury and surrounding towns and villages. A decision is expected soon by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Michael Gove MP, as to whether he will ‘call in’ to reconsider the decision.
