Authorities disagree over incinerators’ effectiveness

19 April 2009

Friction is growing between Merseyside’s Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) and local authorities over plans for two incinerators.

While the MWDA has already secured £90M of private-finance initiative credits and shortlisted companies to build the plants, certain councils now want to see a last-minute change of policy.

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Cllr Warren Bradley, said he and other leaders were ‘very concerned’ that the MWDA seemed only to be pursuing a policy of energy-from-waste to deal with waste. He said: ‘Incineration raises health and environmental issues and we believe there are other methods which can provide more “environmentally-friendly” and sustainable solutions.’

It is understood support for Liverpool’s stand comes from Halton, Knowsley and Wirral councils, who all raised the issue at a recent meeting of the regions’s local authorities.

Carl Beer, director of MWDA, said: ‘The MWDA has been informed that the meeting of the Merseyside chief executives and leaders was one of a private and confidential nature and the reports and minutes are not available. However, if leaders and chief executives did refer to issues relating to household waste and its recycling and disposal, then MWDA would hope to be part of any discussions that might follow.’

Merseyside and Halton councils and the MWDA are part of the Merseyside and Halton Waste Partnership, set up to deliver the joint municipal waste management strategy and procurement process for new facilities.

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