The open letter, coordinated by the United Kingdom Without Incineration Network (UKWIN) and signed by 38 other organisations, has been sent to Emma Hardy following her appointment as minister with responsibility for the circular economy.
The signatories argued that current levels of waste incineration are incompatible with the government’s recycling, climate and residual waste reduction ambitions, and have called for measures including:
- A reduction in incineration capacity
- Confirmation that Energy from Waste will enter the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) without exemptions from 2028
- Publication of the Circular Economy Growth Plan
- Removal of “unnecessary” packaging from uncut fresh fruit and vegetables
- Further measures to meet the residual waste reduction target
The letter also claimed that 26 councils have delayed introducing separate food waste collections because of long-term Energy from Waste (EfW) contracts.
Shlomo Dowen, UKWIN’s National Coordinator, commented: “It is vital that the incoming Minister appreciates how incinerator lock-in and incineration overcapacity threaten the achievement of recycling, prevention, and residual waste reduction targets and act as a barrier to the circular economy.
“Addressing incinerator lock-in would support Government ambitions to incinerate less and recycle more.”
According to the letter, incinerator “lock-in” – where contractual or financial arrangements encourage councils to continue supplying waste to EfW facilities – acts as a barrier to recycling and waste prevention.
The signatories also argued that current waste policies will only achieve part of the statutory target to halve residual waste by 2042.
They pointed to the government’s own delivery plan, published last month, which said collection and packaging reforms are expected to achieve just under a third of the required reduction.
The letter is backed by organisations including Everyday Plastic, Zero Waste Europe, Biofuelwatch, the Environmental Investigation Agency and Planet Patrol, alongside Friends of the Earth groups, climate action networks and anti-incineration campaigns.
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