Who regulates EfW facilities?
Energy from Waste is one of the most strictly regulated industries in the UK. The European Incineration Directive sets stringent limits on the levels of emissions from the EfW facilities. The Environment Agency monitors the performance of EfW facilities on a regular basis and has access to all emissions testing and monitoring results.
Isn't ash from the EfW process dangerous?
Air Pollution Control Residues, including fly ash, are collected from the flue gas cleaning process and sent to special waste landfill as they contain levels of chemicals that would make them unsuitable for reuse. Incinerator Bottom Ash has been classed as non-hazardous by the Environment Agency and after processing is safe to be used by the construction industry.
Why don't we recycle instead?
Local Authorities must recycle or compost at least 33 per cent of municipal waste by 2015. Recycling municipal waste requires considerable investment and stable markets for the end product. Even after this has been resolved, a substantial proportion of municipal waste will still remain.
In many countries with high recycling rates, EfW is used to offer a complementary disposal route for residual waste as part of an integrated waste management strategy.
Doesn't EfW produce high levels of dioxins?
Pressure groups often talk about dioxins - chemicals that are harmful to human health. However, production from EfW facilities is very small. As an example, SITA UK's Teesside EfW facility produces only 0.6 per cent of Teesside's dioxin emissions. The Teesside plant would have to run for 100 years to produce the same amount of dioxins that were produced by fireworks on Millennium Eve in London.
