Toxic fumes from waste incinerators breach legal limits emissions

The network of 53 incinerators in England breached their environmental permits 352 times last year. Annual performance documents obtained under freedom of information laws reveal that some incinerators were in violation of their permits more than 30 times in just one year.

Most of the breaches involved emissions of toxins above the allowed levels, including releases of carbon monoxide, dioxins and sulphur dioxide. At one plant in North Yorkshire, emissions of carbon monoxide reached more than 40 times permitted levels.

The plants, which now burn more than half of the rubbish collected by councils, are disproportionately located in the most deprived neighbourhoods.

Communities across the country, concerned about the impact on air quality, are opposing a new generation of incinerators. Ministers said in December that too much waste was being burned and recycling rates had stalled. New projects will now only be approved if they meet strict environmental standards.

Under environmental permits, an incinerator can breach the emission limits during “abnormal” activity for a total of 60 hours without facing regulatory action.

Shlomo Dowen, from the UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN), the campaign group which obtained the documents, said: “These limits are to protect human health and this number of breaches is totally unacceptable. Incinerator operators need to be honest about what is going wrong at their facilities.”

The plants with multiple breaches recorded in the annual performance reports include:

The Allerton incinerator at a waste recovery park in North Yorkshire, which reported 69 breaches in 2024, with regular spikes of carbon monoxide. It reported a highest half-hourly average emission of carbon monoxide of 4,609mg per cubic metre in October 2024, compared with a permitted limit of 100mg per cubic metre.

An incinerator at Newport on the Isle of Wight, which reported 34 breaches of the permit in 2024, including multiple violations involving emissions of sulphur dioxide. On 10 July last year, a sulphur dioxide emissions reading of 1,014.1mg per cubic metre was recorded against an average 30-minute emission limit of 200mg per cubic metre.

The UK Health Security Agency says incinerators only make a small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants and any potential effect on people living close by is “likely to be very small”.

The Environment Agency said there was a near 99.99% compliance with emission limits in 2024, despite the permit breaches. A spokesperson said: “Emission limits for incinerators are always set at a level well below that at which harm to the environment or human health could occur, and if plants exceed these limits, we will take action, including enforcement in the most serious cases.”

The Environmental Services Association, which represents waste treatment providers, says the “vast majority” of permit breaches are in the lowest severity category, with no risk to the environment or human health.

Thalia Waste Management, operator of the incinerator at Allerton, said the incinerator’s performance in 2024 had “resulted in no adverse environmental or health impact, as determined by the Environment Agency”.

Natasha Dix, a service director at Isle of Wight council, which oversees the local waste incinerator, said breaches at the incinerator had a “minimal overall impact” in air quality, but the council recognised that any permit breaches must be addressed with transparency and accountability.

Photograph by Christopher Furlong/Getty