Local authorities have told the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that there is strong support for waste-to-energy schemes, despite public opposition to incinerators.
DEFRA has published details of the 4,017 responses it has received to its consultation on waste strategy which show there were 356 detailed responses, the majority of which supported the view that energy-from-waste has had a bad press and energy should be recovered from material which cannot be recycled. The consultation closed on 9 May. DEFRA also received some 3,432 standard and formal letters and e-mails from opponents of waste energy schemes. The more detailed responses also addressed issues such as the future of landfill, waste minimisation and regulation.
Landfill was generally seen as an option of last resort and respondents stressed the need to simplify regulation and especially, the definition of waste.