(Bath) (LD):...We would also
know whether we were sending our waste to waste incineration
facilities. Although people talk about energy from waste I remind
the House that it is not a net zero solution. Incinerating plastic
is no better than burning fossil fuels. If we are looking for a net
zero solution for this country, incineration from waste is not it.
We need to look at that urgently. My amendment would make sure that
those who diligently recycled could be confident that their waste
was recycled and not shipped abroad or burned in incinerators.
Incinerators need a certain calorific value in order to burn. For
example, burning wet food waste is best done by adding plastics. It
is perfectly possible that waste companies are burning recycled
plastic waste from local authorities.
It is crucial to understand that energy from waste plants is not
a net zero solution. Burning plastics, as I have just said, is no
better than burning fossil fuels. Plastic should be recycled
where possible, and energy from waste facilities create a
counter-incentive to recycling. A small change in the law to
require waste to be traced to its end destination will make the
system more transparent and waste authorities more accountable.
In this way, everyone will know where their waste is going when
they put it in the recycling bin. We owe it to our residents to
give them that transparency...
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