Councils warned about incinerators

Councils have been warned to push ahead with plans for new incinerators to meet targets to cut landfill or face landing taxpayers with millions of pounds of fines.

They could be punished to the tune of £2million each, if they fail to meet EU targets on cutting biodegradable waste being buried.

Recycling and waste minimisation alone will not be enough to cut the amount of biodegradable domestic waste going to landfill to 50 per cent of 1995 levels by 2013 and 35 per cent by 2020, the Audit Commission warned.

While incineration is a less desirable way of cutting waste than reusing or recycling, most plants now use the energy created to generate electricity.

Although the projects cost a minimum of £20 million, are often very controversial and take up to 10 years to build, investment is necessary to tackle the UK's landfill problem, a report says.

A £122 million rubbish burner planned at Four Ashes Industrial Estate, South Staffordshire, would provide power?

It would create between 180 and 200 extra lorry journeys daily, sparking fears from residents that plans are too big for the area.

Michael O'Higgins, chairman of the Audit Commission, said today: "We must keep up the pressure to reduce, reuse and recycle but if we are to avoid being heavily fined for failing to meet the 2013 target then we must also push ahead with the treatment plants that are in the pipeline."

The new plants being planned at the moment would have no impact on the 2013 target, but delays in finalising plants already on the way could have serious consequences.

Local Government Association environment board chairman Paul Bettison said: "Councils are pulling out the stops to deliver projects.

"The reality is the Government has hit the council taxpayer with a £1.5billion bill over the next three years by going back on its undertaking to refund money raised through landfill tax to local authorities."