10 January 2018
"Surrey's Waste Plan to 2033 is open for consultation until February 7th. follow this link. It proposes 3-6 incinerators in the Green Belt which will reduce recycling, just when Surrey was doing so well at it. But the plan doesn't make that clear. To help with your response we've produced a briefing which you can view here.
You can also read the detailed response from Cllr Jonathan Essex here, a letter from our Green MEP Keith Taylor about the lack of transparency in the consultation and his main response here".
Surrey Green Party has issued the following press release:
Surrey’s waste plan - secret incinerators and unambitious recycling targets
Surrey Greens have reviewed the county’s waste plan to 2033 which highlights a massive planned increase in incineration at the cost of recycling.
The plan, which is open for consultation until February 7th, proposes up to 6 incinerators on Green Belt land even though Surrey is joint top for recycling in England.
Green County Councillor Jonathan Essex says: “There is no justification for building incinerators, which are polluting and energy inefficient and would lock us into continuing to burn high volumes of waste, thus stopping us recycling and reducing this waste in the future.
“We need more ambitious targets for recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion, plus policies and plans to discourage waste in the first place. This would remove the need for any new incinerators. Surrey County Council should develop and work towards a zero waste policy for the county”.
Surrey Heath is currently the top performer for recycling and composting (62%), followed by Guildford (60%). Surrey Greens are calling on Surrey County Council to set a target of 85% by 2033 with zero waste as the end goal.
“Incineration takes waste away from recycling. There will be huge local opposition to any new incinerators and they will cost a substantial sum which would be best put into keeping our recycling centres open for longer and investing in better recycling practice, as well as activities to increase waste prevention and reuse”, said Cllr Essex.
The plan also keeps the public in the dark about what waste facilities will go where. “This Local Waste Plan should consult the public on what is proposed to go where, not just about what the overall plan is. Local communities around Surrey should be informed whether an incinerator is planned on their doorstep now, not just when a planning application is submitted later”.
Notes to editors:
The Surrey Waste consultation is here:
The full response by Cllr Essex including all the data on waste is here.
Green MEP Keith Taylor has written a letter to Surrey County Council about the lack of transparency in the consultation. He also has an overview with links on his website here.
Vicki Elcoate,
Coordinator, Federation of Surrey Green parties
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