New analysis by the Green Party reveals that by next year England could be burning more rubbish in incinerators than it recycles.
A report compiled by Baroness Jenny Jones revealed that in 2016-17 about 4m tonnes were landfilled, about 10m incinerated and just over 11m recycled or composted.
The report uses current trends to predict that between April 2018 and April 2019, just over 12 million tonnes of waste will be incinerated, compared to just under 12 million tonnes of rubbish which is set to get recycled.
Local Green Party campaigners will use this new report to call on the Environment Agency to refuse licence for the proposed Incinerator in Keighley.
In opposing the new incinerator in Keighley, The Green Party has argued that burning waste in an incinerator is bad for the health of local people, contributes to climate change and holds back local recycling rates.
Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that nine of the ten councils with highest rates of infant death rates either had an incinerator or were adjacent to a council with an incinerator.
Celia Hickson, a former General Election candidate who lives in has slammed these findings saying: “The current government has overseen a system which means businesses can make a lot of money at the expense of local people by burning waste that could easily be recycled – and it is the people living in the Aire Valley who will be the next to suffer.
“Locally, Bradford Labour have failed to explain what they intend to do improve air quality for those living in the Aire Valley after their local councillors joined Conservative and Lib Dems and voted to approve the incinerator which will have a negative impact on the thousands of people living nearby.”
Baroness Jones has said: “I find it shocking that the UK is on the verge of burning more waste than it recycles.
“There is every chance that some of the plastics, cardboard and paper that people took care to separate for recycling, will end up being burnt alongside everything that was thrown in the waste bin. None of us wants to see our carefully separated recycling burnt and our elected councillors must stop this from happening.”