The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) is poised to build a new bigger incinerator in Edmonton. Hackney is one of seven north London boroughs behind the scheme. Due to its size, cost and the environmental damage it will cause; we demand that the NLWA stop and reconsider the plan. The decision to go ahead will be taken on December 16th. We urge Hackney's representatives to vote to pause and review the plan and consider less damaging options

Why should the incinerator plan be paused and reviewed?     

• The new incinerator is larger and will burn rubbish of which about 40% could be re-cycled
• Burning waste that should be reduced, re-used or recycled will create more air pollution and carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
• Its cost has spiraled to £1.2b from an initial assessment of £650m  Hackney could be saddled with costs that could be avoided by more re-cycling and a smaller, cleaner plant.
• The proposed Carbon, Capture and Storage (CCS) to remove its carbon emissions has not even been designed, costed in and this new technical fix might never be fit for purpose.
• Its size means that to be financially viable it will have to operate at a capacity greater than the waste produced by the seven boroughs; so to feed its appetite it will have to suck in waste from far and wide.
• London already has more incineration capacity than needed and adding to this will be a disincentive to raising re-cycling ambitions.
• The burn from the bigger incinerator will provide local electricity but this would be better provided to better insulated homes by renewable energy.
• Hackney Council's support for the incinerator risks both it finances and its own climate emergency commitments.

We urge Hackney Council's NLWA representatives to vote to pause the construction of the new incinerator and support an independent review of the scheme in full consultation with local people.