The incineration message and a call to consider waste plastics as "frozen fuel", came from the federation this week at a meeting of Westminster’s Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.

Peter Davis, BPF director general, spelt out the advantage of burning waste, partly as the UK could face "energy shortages" next winter. And, he also criticised London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s opposition to new plants.

The Federation has long favoured incineration of plastics or reusing them via a proposed chemical recycling process. While it also endorses mechanical recycling, the association still appears to overall prefer the energy from waste approach. Mr Davis told the MPs that "used plastic must be recycled or energy recovered - not landfilled".

But, the Association believes there are problems with plastics recycling in terms of "making it economically viable and in the level of demand for recyclate".

Hierarchy

The Federation also takes the view that the concept of the waste hierarchy should be abolished and instead waste management options should be viewed as a toolkit "with the right tool being used for the right job". Mr Davis told Peers and MPs that used plastics are "a valuable resource" which should not be landfilled, but recovered as recycled materials and much needed energy.

The director general emphasised that plastics are "not toxic but inert", and that waste can be successfully recovered through a variety of methods depending on the situation.

He explained that methods range from mechanical recycling, where plastic is effectively flaked and re-processed, to chemical recycling where the basic chemical building blocks can be recovered and repolymerised into plastics. Additionally, used plastics with their high calorific value are like 'frozen fuel', and so have a part to play in energy-from-waste," he noted.

Essex

Mr Davis added: "London Mayor Ken Livingstone wants the capital to manage 80% of its waste by 2020 - not export it. That's impossible to achieve without more recycling and energy recovery in London itself. Many of the Essex landfills London uses for its waste will close in 2007.

"The closure of just the Mucking landfill will generate 100 extra lorry movements a day. We need more energy from waste incinerators in London and the UK as a whole and we certainly need the energy they generate."