The problem with incineration

Incinerators do not destroy waste Every year in the UK, we produce millions of tonnes of domestic waste. We chuck it in the bin and wait for the council to collect it. Only 11% is recycled. The majority is landfilled or burnt, in 15 municipal incinerators around the country. Many people assume it has been destroyed.

But it is one of the fundamental principles of science that matter can never be destroyed; it can only ever be transformed. Incinerators do not destroy waste. They simply turn it into ash, gases and particulate matter. Our rubbish still exists. We may see less of it. But we