A new report will argue that the government could create four times more jobs and save more carbon emissions than the same investment in onshore wind if it invested £1bn in waste technology such as recycling and district heating infrastructure.
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) will launch a report today quantifying the economic growth potential of the waste management sector and comparing its impact on jobs and carbon emissions with that of wind farms.
It comes ahead of a long-awaited review of waste policy due to be unveiled very shortly. Defra is playing down speculation that it will be published tomorrow.
ESA’s report, Delivering Green Growth - Don’t Waste the Opportunity, compares the jobs created and emissions saved by a £1bn investment in a representative “basket” of waste management infrastructure with the same amount invested in onshore wind turbines.
It found that the waste infrastructure investment creates over four times more jobs (3,000 compared to 650), and would save four million tones of carbon emisisons compared to 1.4 million tones from onshore wind investment.
Matthew Farrow, ESA director of policy, maintained that he was not launching an attack on wind power, but merely wants the government to match its support for waste to energy.
“The government has been overly focused on high-profile green sectors such as wind power and electric vehicles. Important as these may be, with the economy stumbling and having just adopted very tough carbon budgets, the government is missing a trick if it does not realise the potential of the waste management sector,” he said.
“Pound for pound, investment in waste infrastructure creates more jobs and saves more carbon emissions than investment in wind farms. The Waste Review announcement must show that the government recognises the potential of the sector to deliver real green growth.”
Specifically ESA is calling for the government to give a clear place for energy from waste in energy policy, a more predictable planning system for waste infrastructure and a crackdown on illegal waste businesses which undermine the investments of responsible firms.
