Paul Thorogood
@paulthorogood.bsky.social
Anti-waste incinerator advocate, promoting instead sustainable waste management alternatives such as waste reduction, reuse, and recycling ♻️
Carbon capture has similar issues. Indaver say they could capture all CO2 at Rivenhall but don’t have space to store it and selling it to industry would require more lorry movements and they’re already restricted. If incinerators must happen, they should be built on top of former coal mines
December 17, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Carbon capture has similar issues. Indaver say they could capture all CO2 at Rivenhall but don’t have space to store it and selling it to industry would require more lorry movements and they’re already restricted. If incinerators must happen, they should be built on top of former coal mines
I am the Green Party county councillor for the Braintree Eastern division at Essex County Council and one of the two district councillors for the Kelvedon and Feering ward at Braintree District Council. The Rivenhall waste incinerator is located in my electoral county division and district ward
December 17, 2025 at 8:46 AM
I am the Green Party county councillor for the Braintree Eastern division at Essex County Council and one of the two district councillors for the Kelvedon and Feering ward at Braintree District Council. The Rivenhall waste incinerator is located in my electoral county division and district ward
Yes I agree. Plastic comes from oil from the ground and should go back into the ground until it can be re harvested to be recycled. Burning it and releasing the emissions into the atmosphere only harms local communities and the environment by making the sea more acidic for example
December 17, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Yes I agree. Plastic comes from oil from the ground and should go back into the ground until it can be re harvested to be recycled. Burning it and releasing the emissions into the atmosphere only harms local communities and the environment by making the sea more acidic for example
Instead sustainable waste management alternatives such as waste reduction, reuse, and recycling must replace landfill and large-scale incineration. Incineration harms public health and the environment, exacerbates climate change, and undermines the circular economy.
December 17, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Instead sustainable waste management alternatives such as waste reduction, reuse, and recycling must replace landfill and large-scale incineration. Incineration harms public health and the environment, exacerbates climate change, and undermines the circular economy.
Both the government and local authorities see landfill as bad and waste incineration, or “airfill” as there are serious environmental consequences to burning waste, as good. The fact is both landfill and airfill are equally bad
December 17, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Both the government and local authorities see landfill as bad and waste incineration, or “airfill” as there are serious environmental consequences to burning waste, as good. The fact is both landfill and airfill are equally bad
For the past 10 years recycling rates have failed to increase, remaining stuck at about 41% in England - supplying waste incinerators with waste, commonly called “feeding the beast”, discourages increasing recycling as incineration is seen as the cheap and easy solution
December 17, 2025 at 7:51 AM
For the past 10 years recycling rates have failed to increase, remaining stuck at about 41% in England - supplying waste incinerators with waste, commonly called “feeding the beast”, discourages increasing recycling as incineration is seen as the cheap and easy solution
The Local Government Association (LGA) - representing local authorities in England and Wales - expressed concerns to the BBC that these contracts have left councils unable to explore the use of more environmental solutions, such as recycling, for fear of a fine for breach of contract
December 17, 2025 at 7:48 AM
The Local Government Association (LGA) - representing local authorities in England and Wales - expressed concerns to the BBC that these contracts have left councils unable to explore the use of more environmental solutions, such as recycling, for fear of a fine for breach of contract
This will lock-in all the new unitary authorities in Essex in to sending their waste to the Rivenhall Airfield for their first political term and beyond regardless of their political makeup or views and whether there are cheaper and greener options elsewhere
December 17, 2025 at 7:46 AM
This will lock-in all the new unitary authorities in Essex in to sending their waste to the Rivenhall Airfield for their first political term and beyond regardless of their political makeup or views and whether there are cheaper and greener options elsewhere
Even if local authorities wanted to move away from the use of energy-from-waste plants they are often unable to due to restrictive, long-term contracts. Tory-run Essex County Council, which is set to be dissolved in 2028, has just signed a 7-year contract with the Rivenhall Airfield incinerator
December 17, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Even if local authorities wanted to move away from the use of energy-from-waste plants they are often unable to due to restrictive, long-term contracts. Tory-run Essex County Council, which is set to be dissolved in 2028, has just signed a 7-year contract with the Rivenhall Airfield incinerator
Prof Keith Bell, who sits on the UK Climate Change Committee, said after reviewing the BBC's findings: “If the current government is serious about clean power by 2030 then... we cannot allow ourselves to be locked into just burning waste.”
December 17, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Prof Keith Bell, who sits on the UK Climate Change Committee, said after reviewing the BBC's findings: “If the current government is serious about clean power by 2030 then... we cannot allow ourselves to be locked into just burning waste.”
The waste they burn is increasingly made up of plastic, says local government data. Because plastic is produced from fossil fuels, it is the dirtiest type of waste to burn. According to government statistics, burning plastic produces 175 times more carbon dioxide (CO2) than burying it in landfill
December 17, 2025 at 7:39 AM
The waste they burn is increasingly made up of plastic, says local government data. Because plastic is produced from fossil fuels, it is the dirtiest type of waste to burn. According to government statistics, burning plastic produces 175 times more carbon dioxide (CO2) than burying it in landfill
There are currently dozens of new plants going through the planning process, and existing ones are growing in capacity. The BBC investigation found nearly half of all incinerators in the UK have managed to get a capacity increase approved by the Environment Agency without applying for a new permit
December 17, 2025 at 7:38 AM
There are currently dozens of new plants going through the planning process, and existing ones are growing in capacity. The BBC investigation found nearly half of all incinerators in the UK have managed to get a capacity increase approved by the Environment Agency without applying for a new permit
Without action, it is expected that the use of incinerators in the UK will continue to grow and they will probably get more polluting, says the BBC
December 17, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Without action, it is expected that the use of incinerators in the UK will continue to grow and they will probably get more polluting, says the BBC
Indaver, the company that will run the Rivenhall Airfield incinerator after commissioning is completed in the spring of 2026, has said it could capture ALL CO2 emissions from the site but won’t because it has no where to store it
December 17, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Indaver, the company that will run the Rivenhall Airfield incinerator after commissioning is completed in the spring of 2026, has said it could capture ALL CO2 emissions from the site but won’t because it has no where to store it
There are currently only four out of 58 incinerators in the UK with approved plans to capture their emissions and one pilot project that is operating. This project at Ferrybridge EfW collects one tonne of carbon dioxide a day - but the site produces more than half a million tonnes of CO2 annually
December 17, 2025 at 7:34 AM
There are currently only four out of 58 incinerators in the UK with approved plans to capture their emissions and one pilot project that is operating. This project at Ferrybridge EfW collects one tonne of carbon dioxide a day - but the site produces more than half a million tonnes of CO2 annually
These include the UK Climate Change Committee, which has recommended that no more plants be built without efforts to capture all their carbon emissions
December 17, 2025 at 7:33 AM
These include the UK Climate Change Committee, which has recommended that no more plants be built without efforts to capture all their carbon emissions
In the past few years, Wales and Scotland have introduced bans on new incinerator plants over environmental concerns, and there have been increasing calls from leading academics and environmental groups for the same to happen in England and Northern Ireland
December 17, 2025 at 7:32 AM
In the past few years, Wales and Scotland have introduced bans on new incinerator plants over environmental concerns, and there have been increasing calls from leading academics and environmental groups for the same to happen in England and Northern Ireland
And yet, incinerators are still being built in England. The Rivenhall Airfield waste incinerator near Braintree is being commissioned right now and since incineration started at the new plant in August there have been two serious breaches of emission limits regulated by the Environment Agency
December 17, 2025 at 7:32 AM
And yet, incinerators are still being built in England. The Rivenhall Airfield waste incinerator near Braintree is being commissioned right now and since incineration started at the new plant in August there have been two serious breaches of emission limits regulated by the Environment Agency
Lord Deben, the Conservative environment minister who introduced the landfill tax in 1996, told the BBC: “We’ve got too many [incinerators], and we shouldn’t have any more… they begin to distort our ability to recycle.”
December 17, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Lord Deben, the Conservative environment minister who introduced the landfill tax in 1996, told the BBC: “We’ve got too many [incinerators], and we shouldn’t have any more… they begin to distort our ability to recycle.”
“The current practice of the burning of waste for energy and building more and more incinerators for this purpose is at odds with our desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Williams. “Increasing its use is disastrous for our climate.”
December 17, 2025 at 7:28 AM
“The current practice of the burning of waste for energy and building more and more incinerators for this purpose is at odds with our desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Williams. “Increasing its use is disastrous for our climate.”
The government’s independent advisory group, the UK Climate Change Committee, warns incineration will make up an increasing part of emissions from electricity generation. It’s an “insane situation”, said Dr Ian Williams, professor of applied environmental science at the University of Southampton
December 17, 2025 at 7:27 AM
The government’s independent advisory group, the UK Climate Change Committee, warns incineration will make up an increasing part of emissions from electricity generation. It’s an “insane situation”, said Dr Ian Williams, professor of applied environmental science at the University of Southampton
This now leaves waste incineration as the dirtiest way the UK produces power. According to the BBC analysis, energy produced from waste is five times more polluting than the average UK unit of electricity
December 17, 2025 at 7:26 AM
This now leaves waste incineration as the dirtiest way the UK produces power. According to the BBC analysis, energy produced from waste is five times more polluting than the average UK unit of electricity
For the past three decades, the UK has been reducing its use of coal because of how polluting it is - and last year closed its last coal plant. The government hopes this will help it achieve its target of ensuring electricity generation produces no carbon emissions by 2030
December 17, 2025 at 7:25 AM
For the past three decades, the UK has been reducing its use of coal because of how polluting it is - and last year closed its last coal plant. The government hopes this will help it achieve its target of ensuring electricity generation produces no carbon emissions by 2030
The BBC’s five-year analysis used data on actual pollution levels recorded by operators at their incinerators, and found that energy-from-waste plants are now producing the same amount of greenhouse gases per unit of electricity as if they were burning coal
December 17, 2025 at 7:25 AM
The BBC’s five-year analysis used data on actual pollution levels recorded by operators at their incinerators, and found that energy-from-waste plants are now producing the same amount of greenhouse gases per unit of electricity as if they were burning coal