Zero Waste Europe calls for a halt to new EU incinerators, citing a 65 million-ton capacity surplus
A study for the advocacy group compares permitted incineration capacity with the waste actually treated, though its authors acknowledge the figures have limits.
Zero Waste Europe is urging a moratorium on new waste incinerators in the European Union (EU) after a study it commissioned estimated that the bloc has about 65 million metric tons of unused incineration capacity.
The study, prepared by the consultancy Equanimator and published Oct. 13, compares reported capacity of 198.4 million metric tons with the 133.6 million metric tons of waste treated in 2022. The group says planned new or expanded plants would add at least 8 million metric tons more.
"There is really no justification for continuing to build new incinerators," said Janek Vähk, Zero Waste Europe's zero pollution policy manager.
The group argues that more capacity would create pressure to burn waste that could otherwise be prevented, reused or recycled. It wants excess capacity retired in a coordinated way and municipal waste incineration brought into the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) without free allowances.
The authors acknowledge limits to the calculation. It covers a broad range of facilities, including co-incineration plants whose permitted capacity may exceed what they can realistically process, and spare capacity may not match the types of waste available. Some member states would still need new treatment capacity. The Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (CEWEP) has argued that energy recovery provides a necessary service for waste that cannot be recycled.
This brief is based on reporting by Darrel Moore, published Oct. 13, 2026, in Circular Online. Read the original: https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/eu-incinerator-moratorium-urged-over-65m-tonne-surplus-claim/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
