NEW data reveals the Isle of Wight is among the highest in the South East for incinerated waste, with the council burning a great deal more than it did a decade ago, and recycling less. 

Figures from the BBC show the amount of waste incinerated on the Isle of Wight has risen from 16 per cent in 2014/2015 to 42 per cent in 2022/2023.

This is the third highest rise in the South East.

Also, the data shows the amount of waste being recycled has fallen by 5.5 per cent, from 52 per cent to 46.5 per cent, across the same timeframe.

Over the past decade, local authorities have greatly reduced the amount of household waste they send to landfill, but a question mark hangs over whether the alternative – incinerating waste to generate electricity for the National Grid – is the green solution it has been sold as. 

The Isle of Wight Council says the management and treatment of waste has changed significantly since 2015.

The decline in recycling rate, it attributes - in part - to 2022 drought conditions impacting composting rates. 

“The submissions made to waste data flow in 2014/15 is reflective of a period in time when landfill was the predominant destination for non-recyclable waste, with 24,095 tonnes landfilled,” said a spokesperson for the local authority.

“The infrastructure and contractual changes made by the council mean that in 2022/23, only 660 tonnes of waste was landfilled.

“This is a significant environmental benefit.  

“The amount of waste incinerated in 2014/2015 pre-dates the start of the current Waste Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract.

“In 2022/2023, the Energy from Waste Plant was undergoing hot commissioning, and during this time the plant was being tested and run under real conditions.

“The energy from waste plant has this year exported 2.4million kW hours of electricity into the grid.

“The amount of recycling and composting reported by the authority to DEFRA declined from 52 per cent in 2014-15 to 46.5 per cent in 2022-23.

“For context, during 2022-23, the average recycling and composting rate was 40.7 per cent for England.

“2022 was the warmest year on record, triggering drought conditions which significantly impacted composting rates on the Island and across the UK, which form part of the total recycling rate.”