Just 60% of England and Wales' permitted waste incineration capacity was used in 2007, figures published today (November 19) by the Environment Agency have revealed.

And, the data, which is part of the Agency's 'Waste Information; 2007' report, also shows that the amount of waste sent to permitted treatment facilities stalled, after five years of steady increases.

The figures - which was taken from all waste management sites regulated by the EA - show that, almost a quarter less waste (65 million tonnes) was sent to landfill in 2007 compared to 2001 (84 million tonnes) - with more going to composting, MRFs and incineration.

However, while the total amount of waste sent for incineration in 2007 increased by 6% from its 2006 level, to just below 5.2 million tonnes, the amount of incineration capacity was much higher - at 8.6 million tonnes.

Although municipal waste incinerators operated nearer to capacity than other forms of incineration such as cement kilns, they still used just 75% of their capacity - 3,270,000 out of a possible 4,416, 000 tonnes.

This shortfall occurred despite the amount of incineration capacity remaining the same through 2007 and could be seen by some to raise questions over the need for new waste incinerators in the UK.

The Agency said: "There were 8.6 million tonnes of permitted waste incineration capacity in England and Wales at the end of 2007. No new waste incineration capacity was created during the year. Nearly 5.2 million tonnes of waste were incinerated during 2007, an increase of 6% on 2006."

Treatment

Previous reports published between 2001 and 2006 had shown a steady increase in the amount of waste being sent to permitted treatment facilities but 2007 saw this trend stall at just above 28 million tonnes.

Though much of this was due to a 12% fall in the amount of contaminated chemical waste sent for treatment at a large plant in the North-East, the figures also reveal a decline in the amount of waste passing through Materials Recycling Facilities in some regions - including the North-East, Yorkshire & the Humber and the West Midlands.

However, there was an overall increase in inputs to MRFs of 7% compared to the previous year, and an increase of more than one million tonnes in the amount of waste sent for composting in the same period - equivalent to a 44% rise.

Landfill

The report also shows that London, the South-East and the East of England together have just five years of landfill capacity at 2007 input rates, but London posted the smallest decrease in England and Wales for waste sent to landfill in 2007.

And, the South East, which alongside London and the East of England is considered to operate in a 'single market' due to the transfer of waste among them, actually increased the amount of waste it sent to landfill - by 9%.

The revelation that five years capacity remains for the region represents a marked decline from the seven years tipping capacity for the area which was envisaged when the same report was published for 2006, in March 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).

The capital's small decrease in the waste it sent to landfill, of just 1%, contrasts with the success of the North West and Yorkshire & Humber regions in managing to reduce the amount they sent to landfill by 12% in 2007.

And, on its own, London now has just three years left of landfill capacity, at 2007 input rates, compared to as much as 12.5 years for Yorkshire and Humber and 10.8 years for the West Midlands.

Overall

The head of external waste programmes at the Environment Agency, Martin Brocklehurst, said that the overall fall in waste to landfill provided England and Wales was "heading in the right direction to reduce our dependency on landfill in the long-term".

And, he explained: "Even during these difficult market conditions, landfill should be the last resort for waste materials that we can't immediately recover or recycle."

"The key to retaining an outlet for recyclable materials is to ensure a quality produce for the buyer by maintaining and improving standards in dealing with waste," he added.