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Incinerators

Answer

[holding answer 2 May 2006]: Following the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report Waste not, Want not, published in 2002, Defra commissioned an independent body to bring together information on waste management facilities, including municipal incinerators, currently used in the UK and Europe, and the currently available scientific evidence on their environmental and health effects.The resulting Review of Environmental and Health Effects of Waste Management: Municipal Solid Waste and Similar Wastes report; was peer reviewed by the Royal Society and published in May 2004. Among the other conclusions drawn, the report showed that risks to human health from incineration are small in comparison with other known risks to health.Emissions from municipal incinerators of PM2.5 particles (estimated at 0.029 thousand tonnes in 2004) are proportionally lower than the contribution from other sectors, at around 0.03 per cent. of the national total of 104 thousand tonnes. The major sources of PM2.5 are thought to be road transport (27 per cent.), domestic combustion (14 per cent.), agriculture, (8 per cent.) industrial off road machinery (7 per cent.) power stations (4 per cent.) and small scale waste burning (4 per cent.). However, this fraction of national emissions will not represent the level of human exposure arising from each source sector as a result of the different heights and conditions of release.Defra recently launched a consultation on measures to review the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This consultation suggests a much more wide ranging approach for pollutants such as fine particles (PM 2.5), which is cost effective, geared towards improving public health in the UK and will lead to further improvements in air quality. Further details on this consultation can be found on the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/airqualstrat-review/index.htm

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

67172; 446 c11-2W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Air pollution Incinerators

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk