MIKE HEDGES AM CRITICISES WELSH GOVERNMENT WASTE INCINERATION POLICY

MIKE HEDGES AM CRITICISES WELSH GOVERNMENT WASTE INCINERATION POLICY
Sending rubbish to landfill is better than burning it in large incinerators, the chairman of the assembly’s environment committee has claimed.
Labour AM Mike Hedges described incineration as “a very dangerous way of getting rid of waste materials”.
He wants the Welsh Government to ban any new plants from being developed here, except for burning medical waste.
Mike Hedges said they were a “transitionary step” but the long-term solution was to move away from single-use plastics.
Mr Hedges, who has campaigned in the past against a proposed incinerator in his Swansea East constituency, said his main concern was around emissions.
“Some of it will be carbon dioxide which is very bad for global warming, some of it will be nitrous oxide and dioxins which we know are bad for health.”
“Hospitals need them, they have to get rid of pathogens in some of the medical waste but there’s no reason why domestic waste needs to be incinerated.”
“Can we get on with reduction rather than looking for ways of getting rid of more and more waste? I believe we can!’
Applications are currently under consideration for a number of sites in Wales, including Usk, Barry and Swansea Vale.