Burning household rubbish in the UK has become the dirtiest way to generate electricity, according to a comprehensive BBC analysis. Almost half of the UK’s domestic waste, including growing amounts of plastic, is now incinerated in energy-from-waste plants. These plants, initially promoted as a greener alternative to landfill, now produce similar levels of greenhouse gases per unit of energy as coal—the fossil fuel the UK phased out just last month.

The Environmental Services Association defends waste incineration, citing the unavoidable challenge of waste-related emissions. However, experts warn that burning plastic—a fossil fuel derivative—releases significant levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). While organic waste, such as food, has been redirected to anaerobic digesters, the shift toward burning more plastic is driving emissions skyward. The government’s data, based on outdated waste composition estimates from 2017, likely underestimates the true environmental impact.
Researchers highlight that energy from incinerators now generates five times more greenhouse gases than the average UK electricity unit. As the UK strives to meet its 2030 clean energy goals, waste incineration remains a growing contributor to emissions, with many local councils tied into long-term contracts with incineration operators. Despite calls for an incinerator ban in England—similar to bans in Wales and Scotland—the government continues approving new plants, exacerbating the environmental crisis.

If no action is taken, waste incineration could become a major obstacle in the UK’s battle to decarbonize its energy sector, locking the country into a future of higher emissions from an increasingly unsustainable practice.