Waste incineration jumps 65% since 2014 - BBC data

Oxford Friends of the Earth said the move towards incineration was a result of “running out of landfill”

The amount of waste that has been incinerated in Oxfordshire has increased by 65% between 2014 – 2023, according to figures from the BBC's data unit.

It has also been revealed that although population increase is contributing to higher levels of waste and incineration, recycling levels have declined by 1%.

Chris Church from Oxford Friends of the Earth said that was a result of “running out of landfill”.

The government said that it was "committed to cutting waste and moving to a circular economy".

“A few years ago Oxford had one of the highest recycling rates in the country”, he Mr Church told BBC Radio Oxford, adding that the local standards “have been slipping”.

“There’s an increasing amount of contamination, people putting things that can’t be recycled in the bin.”

Oxfordshire County Council’s Green Dr Pete Sudbury is among the people who argue that incineration prevents waste going to landfill.

“Landfill waste produces lots of methane which is an incredibly powerful greenhouse gas, and also landfill sites tend to leak toxins into ground water and into streams”.

But others are concerned that it prevents further recycling.

The group Parents for Future Oxford aims to support young people who want to make environmental change.

Member Joanne Bowlt, who lives in central Oxford, said more could always be done and “we need to consume less, and generate less waste”.

“There’s so much stuff that goes into skips that shouldn’t be going into skips…we could do better”, she said.

Ben Tuppen, project co-ordinator at repair café Share Oxford, said society needed to be more innovative in its approach to sustainability

"We have a library of things where you can hire stuff so you don’t need to buy it in the beginning."

A spokesperson from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said:

“We are committed to cutting waste and moving to a circular economy so that we re-use, reduce and recycle more resources and help meet our emissions targets.

“We are considering the role waste incineration will play as we decarbonise and grow the economy.”