You are also encouraged to share this briefing available at https://ukwin.org.uk/health/ and the Overcapacity Briefing at https://ukwin.org.uk/overcapacity/ with your elected representatives (Councillors, MP).Please also help us spread the word by reposting on social media:

• https://twitter.com/UKWIN_Network/status/1722545201502159337

• https://www.facebook.com/UKWIN.Network/posts/pfbid02nwsHYZ6L6VgEiNhKa6Tcf2UEnxzr47XMf1cz7swZEGvrT5XmKLGR5UTnT7yr7bAzl

• https://www.instagram.com/p/Cza5aRjrrvE/

Some context about the briefing for UKWIN members and supporters (this is not the press release, which is available on the briefing page)

For many years UKWIN members have raised health concerns regarding incinerators and have shown an interest in how decisions that affect their health have been made and communicated.

Earlier this year we were asked by our members to produce a briefing on this topic to act as a counterbalance to the bland sweeping statements and the use of terminology (e.g. 'best available technique') that fail to reflect nuances that UKWIN believes to be important.

Many claims and assumptions are made when the health impacts of waste incinerators are considered. Are these claims true? This briefing explores how claims and assumptions made by the Environment Agency, UK Health Security Agency, the UK Government, and others do not always stand up to scrutiny.

This briefing is centred on England and considers waste incinerators (‘Energy from Waste’ plants) and not clinical, hazardous, or animal carcass incinerators, although some of the same issues may apply more broadly.

The health risks associated with waste incineration is one of the reasons why UKWIN opposes incineration.

Falsely denying incinerator health risks undermines public trust, stifles debate, blocks measures to reduce pollution, harms public health, and increases costs to society. Genuine steps must be taken to minimise local pollution and health risks. Much more could be done including better technology, higher stacks, greater controls over feedstocks, and more rigorous monitoring and enforcement.

Incineration overcapacity harms recycling, and thus is associated with wider environmental harm. There is already significant public concern about incinerator health impacts, which can be expected to grow as public interest in improving air quality increases and as incineration is seen as an avoidable source of pollution.

There is already excess incineration capacity to meet England’s residual waste targets – see: https://ukwin.org.uk/overcapacity/ – and avoiding incinerator pollution is another reason to avoid further overcapacity. There is an urgent need to hasten the transition to a truly circular economy, an economy without incinerators.