Becoming an island full of plastic paddies is now a burning issue

That there will soon be more plastic than fish in the sea doesn’t even take into account the inevitable decline in fish stocks, writes Victoria White.

INCINERATION should be our last resort for waste that has proved impossible to reduce or recycle. That’s not me talking, it’s the European Commission. This year’s “communication” to the EU parliament and relevant committees spells out in stark terms that incineration can’t be our answer to the problem of waste.

Incineration should be carried out only where there is, says the commission, “no risk of overcapacity” and where there is a clear “hierarchy” of waste disposal with prevention at the top and recycling next.