A report released in July entitled ‘No time to waste: Resources, recovery and the road to net-zero’ has received cross-party support in Westminster. The report argues that the UK’s energy from waste plants are the safest, cheapest and most environmentally responsible solution to the UK’s residual waste problem. It calls for a more “Scandinavian” approach linking energy and waste policy and it urges the use of domestic EFW heat networks to reduce carbon emissions.

The report finds that widespread deployment of EFW plants across UK regions is necessary to deliver a circular and sustainable waste policy that could power UK homes and avoid the expensive practice of shipping waste abroad or sending it to landfill.

In a foreword to the report, the cross-party politicians say, “The need for safe and effective removal of our waste has never been more important. As the UK embarks on our Build Back Better movement, we must no longer simply bury or export the problem. Instead, we should, as other European economies do, treat residual waste as a valuable resource to produce lower carbon heat and energy, alongside a focus on achieving our important recycling targets and investing in innovative recycling technology.”

Download the report here.