What about incineration or why we don’t just landfill it?

The UK now recycles almost 40% of its domestic waste thanks to the hard work of households and local authorities but the plan is to reach 50% in England – more in Scotland and Wales by 2020. Generally incineration is more expensive and less good for the environment than recycling.  If the energy is recovered and used for heat or electricity, incineration can be preferable to landfill but it is more expensive. All of these approaches have to be used to some extent – but it is clear that we will get a better solution if we can maximise the amount of recycling.