Plan to increase waste burning sparks backlash

Residents have expressed anger after the Environment Agency (EA) said it was "minded" to approve an increase in the amount of waste burned in a south London incinerator.

The Beddington Energy Recovery Facility currently processes up to 347,000 tonnes of waste a year. The operator, Viridor, has applied for a permit allowing it to burn up to 380,000 tonnes annually, arguing it is a cleaner alternative to landfill.

At a recent community meeting, the EA said it was minded to approve the change, but later stressed no final decision had been made. Sutton Council opposes the plans.

Peter Pattemore, who lives opposite the site, said the increase would worsen an already difficult situation.

"It's not a nice place to live," he said.

"It wasn't like this 30 years ago. The smell and the taste have got quite bad. You can actually taste it in the back of your throat."

"The amount of traffic you get now, the lorries are just continuous," the resident added.

Christopher Woolmer, the council's lead member for the environment, said it had repeatedly raised objections with the Environment Agency on behalf of residents.

Concerns have also been heightened by disclosures last year that the incinerator breached its emission limits 916 times between 2022 and 2024.

Viridor said the breaches were the fault of a third-party contractor, very small, did not pose a risk to human health and that safeguards had been put in place to prevent a repeat.

The EA said it would not grant a permit if it believed the activity would cause "significant pollution or harm to the environment or harm to human health".

Councillor Tim Foster, part of an independent group that has launched a petition against the proposal, said residents were united in their opposition.

"They don't want extra traffic and they don't want extra pollution."

Viridor's chief sustainability officer, Tim Rotheray, said energy recovery was a cleaner alternative to landfill for waste that could not be recycled: "There are two choices. It can be stored in landfill, or it can be safely treated through energy recovery without a long-term legacy issue."

As residents wait for a final decision, Pattemore said the uncertainty was taking a toll.

"I'd love to move," he said. "But we've put everything into the house. If we sold it, we wouldn't get what we need because property values around here have gone down because of all this."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]