Faced with the steady increase in incineration capacity in the EU, and in order to promote more environmentally-friendly waste management, a study published on Tuesday 26 September by Zero Waste Europe calls for a moratorium on incineration in the EU, with a coordinated approach among the Member States.
In 2020 alone, 60 million tonnes of additional waste incineration capacity remained unused, and total capacity in 2023 may reach some 220 million tonnes, warns the report commissioned by the NGO.
The study suggests that 5% of incinerators could be decommissioned each year, and that Member States with excess capacity should consider imposing moratoria and possibly managing a reduction in capacity.
It also recommends reassessing the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy, with a potential reclassification of this method as a disposal operation, which would give greater flexibility to Member States seeking to achieve higher recycling rates.
The NGO believes that the evaluation of disposal operations, scheduled to take place by 2024 under Article 12 of the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), should be used to review the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy and thus tackle overcapacity issues.
To read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/8qt (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)