Burning Question: Why is PKC incinerating more of our household waste?

By IAIN HOWIE, Perthshire Advertiser, 31 May 2011

(Return to main Perth Grundon page)

SHOCK figures have revealed that Perth and Kinross Council is incinerating more of our household waste.

Figures published yesterday by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency show that in the first three quarters of 2010-11, the local authority burned more waste than in each of the previous four years.

And while incineration has gone up in this period, waste being handled by the council has actually gone down, dropping by more than 12,000 tonnes from 2006-7 to 2009-10.

Totals for 2010-11, even with the January-March 2011 figures not available, show the incineration levels were creeping back up - 719 tonnes was burned, compared with 602 in 2009-10; 712 in 2008-9 and 577 in 2007-8. 

One period alone - the third quarter of 2010-11 -accounted for 547 tonnes of incinerated waste by PKC.

But the figures are less than the 1461 tonnes incinerated in 2005-6. And while recycling rates have been on the rise, broken down some recycling rates were worse.

Between July-September 2010 recycling rates reached 51.2 per cent - Scotland's second-best performing council at the time - which fell to 41.6 per cent in the last quarter to December.

But compared year on year, that figure is also down from 2009 when 42.5 per cent was recycled. The incineration figures are likely to concern campaigners opposed to Grundon's proposals for an incinerator at Perth's Shore Road as they appear to indicate an increased reliance on this type of disposal for the future.

Incineration techniques are said to cost between £32 and £109 per tonne according to the Waste and Resources
Action Programme, compared with £56 per tonne for landfill tax.

The PA asked the council about its waste incineration and recycling rates.

A council spokesperson said: "Perth and Kinross is one of the top performing areas in Scotland for recycling.

"Our average recycling rate for 2010 is 42.4 per cent compared to the national average of 37.8 per cent. The recycling rate becomes even higher from July to September when many people work on their gardens and so generate more green waste.

"The overall amount of waste produced in Perth and Kinross is continuing to drop, from 98,374 tonnes in 2008/09 to 95,201 in 2009/10, and so is the amount that is incinerated.

"This is due in large part to the rollout of the kerbside recycling service to households, as well as provision of additional recycling and reuse services, which residents and businesses have enthusiastically supported, playing a crucial part in Perth and Kinross continuing to achieve a recycling rate above the national average."

Full details on the figures are available at www.sepa.org.uk.