I am not aware of the origin or accuracy of the reports referred to.
Incineration has been widely employed as a waste treatment option for decades. Over that period, thermal treatment technologies have developed significantly and are capable of greatly improved environmental performance. Within the EU and further afield, a significant number of older incineration facilities, which could not comply with modern environmental standards, or could not economically be upgraded so to do, have been closed.
EU Environment Ministers recently agreed a common position on a proposed Directive on the incineration of waste, which will consolidate and extend the scope of several existing Directives in this area. The proposed Directive provides for stringent operational conditions and emission standards including, for the first time, a specific emission limit value of 0.1 ng/Nm3 for dioxins and furans. The European Commission estimates that the implementation of this Directive will result in a 99 per cent reduction in emissions of dioxins and furans from waste incineration (relative to 1993/1995), and anticipates that the contribution of municipal and clinical waste incineration to overall emissions of dioxins and furans in Europe would be reduced to 0.3 per cent, assuming the output of other sources remains unchanged.
