The Green Party has said improving recycling rates and rolling out food waste collections across the city must be an urgent priority after a BBC investigation found that burning waste to generate electricity is now the dirtiest way the UK generates power. Nearly half of the rubbish produced in UK homes is now being incinerated, something scientists warn is a “disaster for the climate.”
Green councillor James Banyard, who recently visited the energy from waste plant in Marsh Barton, said:
“The Green Party has warned for years that Exeter’s incinerator is the city’s largest carbon emitter and a climate disaster. Incinerators have undermined recycling efforts by, in many cases, locking local authorities into contracts that require a certain amount of waste to be burned. As these plants have mushroomed across the country, so recycling rates have stagnated or even fallen in the last ten years.”
Councillor Carol Bennett added:
“Exeter has a dismal recycling record – the worst in Devon at under 30% [1]. It is imperative we up our game, particularly by rolling out food waste collections across the city. Food waste typically makes up around 38% of waste going for incineration in Exeter so separating that out and recycling it through processes such as anaerobic digestion would make a huge difference [2].
“Energy from waste is neither clean nor green. We need to return our focus to reduce, reuse, repair, recycle which will mean less is sent to be burnt.”
Notes
[1] Latest figures from the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee show that 29.1% of waste in Exeter was recycled in 2023-24. Waste Performance Statistics 2023-24.pdf (devon.gov.uk)
[2] Food waste – Food waste Frequently Asked Questions – Exeter City Council