Given that rubbish exists and has to be disposed of, incinerators are actually not a bad way to do it. The only alternative for many types of rubbish is landfill. So, really the question is: would you prefer a landfill near your home or an incinerator?
You’re right we should produce less waste and we have been cutting plastic waste successfully, even under the Conservatives. Labour have already strengthened the existing single-use plastic bans brought in under the previous government. But while these things are coming into force, we still need to burn or bury some waste. Even if we ban all single use plastics, there will still be some waste that can’t be composted or recycled. So, what should we do with it?
Here in Canada we banned single use plastic grocery bags. Now we’re seeing an epidemic of reusable grocery bags that people only use once. People have closets full of these things and some are starting to dump them in the landfill. Meanwhile we continue seeing overwhelming amounts of single use plastic in the food packaging and other consumer goods.
Right. My worry is that if we make more capacity for burning stuff, then we will consume that capacity, rather than reducing the demand for burning stuff.
I’m not an expert in waste management, but on the face of it, seems counter intuitive.
A part of me still dies when I come home from a weekly shop with so much plastic. I wonder why we don’t refill our milk bottles for example… Meat packaging is tricker.
Given that rubbish exists and has to be disposed of, incinerators are actually not a bad way to do it. The only alternative for many types of rubbish is landfill. So, really the question is: would you prefer a landfill near your home or an incinerator?
Or we could make less rubbish to begin with. We wouldn’t need to burn or bury it then.
You’re right we should produce less waste and we have been cutting plastic waste successfully, even under the Conservatives. Labour have already strengthened the existing single-use plastic bans brought in under the previous government. But while these things are coming into force, we still need to burn or bury some waste. Even if we ban all single use plastics, there will still be some waste that can’t be composted or recycled. So, what should we do with it?
Here in Canada we banned single use plastic grocery bags. Now we’re seeing an epidemic of reusable grocery bags that people only use once. People have closets full of these things and some are starting to dump them in the landfill. Meanwhile we continue seeing overwhelming amounts of single use plastic in the food packaging and other consumer goods.
Yeah, we had a similar issue with plastic bags. Trouble is, when you ban one thing it creates a new demand, which isn’t always better.
Right. My worry is that if we make more capacity for burning stuff, then we will consume that capacity, rather than reducing the demand for burning stuff.
I’m not an expert in waste management, but on the face of it, seems counter intuitive.
A part of me still dies when I come home from a weekly shop with so much plastic. I wonder why we don’t refill our milk bottles for example… Meat packaging is tricker.
Same energy as:
The term is called induced demand btw
Thanks! That’s a term worth remembering!