The National Infrastructure Commission’s annual progress report recommends the UK government ban new long-term contracts for Energy-from-Waste plants without carbon capture plans.
The report said that despite clear long-term targets, recycling rates have stagnated for over a decade and a growing reliance on incineration has limited progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) also called for the UK government to implement the waste collection and packaging reforms with targets and support for local authorities.
The report said significant delays to key reforms have created uncertainty and prevented the necessary investment in new and improved recycling capacity.
To unlock the necessary investment, local authorities and the private sector need clarity on the volume and quality of recyclable waste, and the future of incineration and landfill, the report said.
The NIC also called for an expansion of the ban on single-use plastics to cover other hard-to-recycle plastic items.
Ending contracts for EfW without carbon capture and storage
According to the report, to achieve net zero the tonnage of waste treated at Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plants without carbon capture and storage needs to be reduced by around 25% by 2035 and by around 80% by 2050.
The report said the UK government should instruct local authorities with existing long-term contracts to transition away from unabated EfW at the end of contracts or at break clauses where possible.
The government should also deliver on the commitment to bring EfW into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from 2028, the report said.
The report said the UK government should create stronger incentives to invest in recycling infrastructure by “sending a clear signal on the future of EfW in a circular economy”.
If the NIC’s recommendations set out a longer-term direction of travel for EfW, in the nearer term the UK must boost plastic recycling in order to decarbonise.
Reacting to the report, Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association, Jacob Hayler, said: “We have been supportive of proposals to include EfW in the ETS, subject to design and timings of other policies to ensure a level playing field, but after the proposals were published in 2023, our industry still awaits further consultation over the detail nearly a year later.
“This has prevented government officials from meaningfully engaging with industry – further shortening the already tight implementation timelines and adding to a growing nervousness across the sector as a result of this uncertainty.
“If the NIC’s recommendations set out a longer-term direction of travel for EfW, in the nearer term the UK must boost plastic recycling in order to decarbonise. We cannot be without safe, reliable, residual waste treatment infrastructure without building capacity in alternative solutions.”
