Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork

Chapter 3: The politics of wasteDSW’s view of the economics of waste reduction has since been changed by escalatingfuel prices, as described in Chapter 6. The economics of recycling have been similarlychanged by the commodities price boom. They have not been changed by the impactof policy because there has been no impact.Box 8: Incineration – the great Northern modelThe first waste incinerator was built in Britain in 1875. It resembled nothing somuch as the inner circle of hell and it spewed out pollution. Since then, every newgeneration of incinerators has been advertised as solving the problems with newtechnologies. In Europe now, the latest generation is claimed to be a far bettersolution to waste disposal than landfills. And they have an added advantage inthat they can be used, though not all are, to generate electricity. That landfills areenvironmental nightmares is beyond question. That the new incinerators are muchbetter is less convincing. Indeed, it seems likely that, in combination with the everchanging chemical composition of waste, 36 they are simply creating new hazardsfor people’s health and for the environment. It took decades to understand, letalone regulate for, the impacts of early incinerators and it will take time before theimpacts of the new generation are understood.The first problem relates to the laws of physics: matter can neither be created nordestroyed but can be transformed from one state to another. Thus, the problemwith what disappears in a puff of smoke is what is in the smoke following thechemical reactions that combine burning rubbish with the oxygen and nitrogenin air. Incinerators typically emit sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, nitric oxide,particulates and dioxins and furans. 37 Particulate emissions include various toxicmetals including lead, cadmium, arsenic and chromium. Assuming well maintainedequipment, some of these can be captured. Mercury, however, becomes a gas at hightemperature and its removal from the flue gas, using activated carbon, is more costlyand less certain. Dioxins are particularly tricky to control. Incinerator operators claimthey are destroyed if the incinerator is operated at consistently high temperatures.However, they re-form as the flue gas cools unless cooling is very rapid.36 Growing quantities of PVC are coming into the waste stream and substantially increasing the chlorine content,while e-waste is contributing an exotic mix of plastics and metals.37 Dioxins and furans are chemical cousins and are formed in more or less the same way. There are around 75different dioxins and 135 furans. Below we use ‘dioxin’ to mean both.Wasting the Nation - groundWork - 55 -