Environmental campaigners say they are disappointed after plans for a £330m waste incinerator were approved. The facility will be built at Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power station in Nottinghamshire, which is due to be decommissioned in five years. Opponents say incineration sends significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Site owner Uniper said the facility would help the UK to effectively and efficiently reduce waste. The proposed incinerator - known as the East Midlands Energy Re-Generation (EMERGE) Centre - will burn almost 500,000 tonnes of waste a year, reduce landfill and generate enough energy to power 90,000 homes. Environmental campaigners held a protest against the proposal before a Nottinghamshire County Council planning meeting. But the committee approved the application by nine votes to three. The energy from waste debate: To burn or to bury? Today the debate tends to centre on the climate impact of burning versus burying so-called residual waste. That's the rubbish left after most recyclable materials are removed. Supporters of incineration say it's better for the climate because rubbish buried in landfill produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. And that the energy produced from incineration provides a valuable, reliable and secure domestic energy source. Opponents say incineration produces significant amounts of carbon dioxide at a time when the UK has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035. They say that given targets to recycle 65% of our waste the UK already has more than enough incinerators, that burning waste reduces incentives to recycle and destroys potentially valuable resources. Campaigner Paddy Tipping said: "We're all standing outside County Hall, it's the county council that wants to become carbon neutral, and what are they doing? They are deciding to build a plant that emits carbon. It is just... |