Ask your MP to support action to reduce waste incineration (August 2026)
Email your MP to ask the new Circular Economy Minister to take action in line with an open letter signed by 40 environmental groups .
About UKWIN
The United Kingdom Without Incineration Network (UKWIN) is a network of anti-incineration campaigners coordinated through a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (Company No 06660486). UKWIN was founded in 2007 by anti-incineration groups, with the active support of Friends of the Earth, as an umbrella organisation for those opposing incineration because of adverse impacts on recycling, climate change, resource security, health and the environment. Since then we have worked with more than 200 local grassroots campaign groups and helped stop more than 150 incinerator proposals.
UKWIN’s overarching mission is to bring about an end to the incineration of mixed waste. Our role includes helping individuals and groups develop the case against incineration and supporting networking and information between campaigners, and in doing so promote the UK-wide movement in favour of more sustainable waste/resource management.
Nationally, UKWIN works to:
- Make our expertise available to those wishing to: participate in environmental decisions relating to waste management, access environmental information, or pursue justice in environmental matters;
- Advocate for economic, policy and legislative drivers to support sustainability in general, and more specifically the move away from incineration and towards a sustainable low-carbon circular economy; and
- Highlight the social, environmental and economic issues associated with incineration, including through social media and our website, and by contributing to relevant public consultations, as well as through ongoing work with academics and journalists.
What you can do
From time to time UKWIN calls upon our supporters to join together to take action, usually by writing to their MP or a relevant Government Minister. We also hold national gatherings of anti-incineration campaigners. To be keep up-to-date please join our mailing list:
Join the UKWIN mailing list
To join the UKWIN mailing list please e-mail coordinator@ukwin.org.uk with the subject “SUBSCRIBE” and also let us know what campaign you are involved if (if any).
Also follow our Facebook and Twitter and BlueSky accounts and share our content where appropriate.
Reports, Letters, and Briefings
- Letter to UK Circular Economy Minister calling for action to move us away from incineration and towards recycling (UKWIN and 38 other environmental groups, August 2026)
- Incineration Overcapacity Briefing (UKWIN, July 2026)
- Non-incineration demands for residual waste in England (UKWIN, February 2025)
- Considerations for potential investors in UK EfW projects (Only Solutions LLP, December 2024) – See also: Summary report
- Letter to Defra regarding EA regulation of incineration (UKWIN, October 2024)
- Response to Mary Creagh’s September reply to open letter from July 2024 (UKWIN and 50 environmental NGOs, September 2024) – See also Mary Creagh letter of 10th September 2024
- Issues with UK company climate reporting on waste (UKWIN, August 2024) – See also the independent but related report ‘Improving climate emissions accounting to accelerate the circular economy transition‘ (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, January 2025)
- Open letter calling on UK Government to ban new incineration capacity (UKWIN and 50 environmental NGOs, July 2024) – See also press kit
- Incineration Health Briefing (UKWIN, November 2023)
- Incineration Overcapacity Briefing (UKWIN, September 2023)
- Letter to Defra setting out concerns regarding the Government’s irresponsible and unambitious reply to the 10-point action plan to phase out waste incineration and accelerate the transition to zero waste and associated Press Release Watchdogs Slam UK as “Irresponsible and Unambitious” on Waste (10 August 2023) – See also DOCX version of press release.
- Incineration Overcapacity Briefing (September 2022) – see also accompanying methodology paper and response to ESA comments
- Good Practice Guidance for Assessing the GHG Impacts of Waste Incineration (July 2021)
- UKWIN account of the Westminster Hall incineration debate (January 2021)
- Particulates Matter: Are emissions from incinerators safe to breathe? (PRG, December 2019)
- Smoke and Mirrors: exposing the reality of carpet ‘recycling’ in the UK (Changing Markets, November 2019)
- Examples of incineration harming recycling (UKWIN, July 2019)
- Evaluation of the climate change impacts of waste incineration in the United Kingdom (UKWIN, October 2018)
- Bin the Burners: Removing Barriers to a Circular Economy (UKWIN, July 2018) – Relates to EDM #581
- Critique of ‘Cory Riverside Energy: A Carbon Case’ (UKWIN, December 2017)
- Gasification Failures in the UK: Bankruptcies and Abandonment (UKWIN, November 2016)
- Emissions Dispersion Modelling Appraisal (Tim Hill, UKWIN, June 2016)
- Guide to judicial review in the incinerator context (Deighton Pierce Glynn Solicitors, August 2013)
- Climate Change Impacts of Residual Waste Treatment (Ann Ballinger, Eunomia, July 2011)
Consultation Submissions and Calls for Evidence
- Submission to the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Strategy consultation (January 2026)
- Submission to Defra’s consultation on modernising Environmental Permitting (October 2025)
- Submission to DESNZ’s Greenhouse Gas Removals Call for Evidence for Independent Review (June 2025)
- Submission to the Scottish Government’s Call for Evidence on Extending Landfill Ban (June 2025)
- Submission to Defra EPR Exemptions Reform consultation (June 2025)
- Submission to DESNZ consultation on 2025 revisions to National Policy Statements (May 2025)
- Submission to Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s inquiry into National planning for energy infrastructure (May 2025)
- Submission to MHCLG’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Consultation (UKWIN, August/September 2024)
- Submission to UK consultation on greenhouse gas removals (UKWIN, August 2024)
- Submission to UK ETS Consultation (UKWIN, August 2024)
- EFRACOM inquiry into the work of the Environment Agency (UKWIN, March 2023)
- EFRACOM inquiry into Soil Health (UKWIN, February 2023)
- Submission to Defra Environmental Targets consultation (UKWIN, June 2022)
- Submission to BEIS CCUS Industrial Carbon Capture Business Model consultation (UKWIN, May 2022)
- Submission to BEIS UK Emissions Trading Scheme consultation (UKWIN, May 2022)
- Scottish Incineration Review Call for Evidence (UKWIN, February 2022)
- EFRACOM inquiry into plastics call for evidence (UKWIN, September 2021)
- Moving Away from Incineration Towards a Circular Economy: Policy Suggestions for England’s Green Recovery (UKWIN, November 2020) – Watch videos of the presentations and a summary of UKWIN’s presentation
- Defra’s Waste Management Plan for England consultation (UKWIN, October 2020)
- Comments on waste infrastructure to inform the forthcoming National Infrastructure Strategy (UKWIN, August 2020)
- House of Commons Public Bill Committee consideration of the Environment Bill (UKWIN, March 2020)
- UKWIN account of Westminster Hall incineration debate (February 2020)
- UKWIN Account of Westminster Hall incineration debate (January 2020)
- EFRACOM inquiry into plastic food and drink packaging (UKWIN, September 2019)
- BEIS consultation on proposed amendments to the Contracts for Difference scheme (UKWIN, March 2018)
- HCLGCOM inquiry into the implications of the Waste Strategy for Local Authorities inquiry – Rebuttal of ESA evidence (UKWIN, June 2019)
- HCLGCOM inquiry into the implications of the Waste Strategy for Local Authorities inquiry – Initial submission (UKWIN, June 2019)
- Defra consultation on reforming the UK packaging producer responsibility system (UKWIN, May 2019)
- UKWIN account of Westminster Hall incineration debate (April 2019)
- National Infrastructure Commission’s Consultation on a National Infrastructure Assessment: ‘Congestion, Capacity, Carbon: Priorities for National Infrastructure’ (UKWIN, January 2018)
- London Assembly’s Environment Committee investigation into London’s waste generation, handling and disposal (UKWIN, July 2017)
- BEIS’ call for evidence on fuelled and geothermal technologies in the Contracts for Difference scheme (UKWIN, December 2016)
- Ministry of Justice Costs Consultation (UKWIN, November 2015)
- HCLGCOM investigation into the operation of the National Planning Policy Framework (UKWIN, December 2014)
- EFRACOM inquiry into Waste Management in England (UKWIN, October 2014)
- National Audit Office call for evidence regarding Defra’s oversight of the Waste PFI Programme (UKWIN, November 2013)
- Ministry of Justice consultation on proposed for reform to judicial review (UKWIN, October 2013)
- Draft Aarhus National Implementation Report (UKWIN, October 2013)
- European Commission consultation on the Green Paper on Plastic Waste (UKWIN, June 2013)
- Defra’s Call for Evidence to inform the UK Government’s Review of Waste Policies (UKWIN, October 2010)
2024 Incinerator moratorium campaign
Local elections in May 2024 were followed by a General Election in July 2024, and as part of both of these elections candidates were invited to pledge to support recycling by opposing incineration. Nearly 200 local election candidates signed the pledge, followed by 127 Parliamentary candidates, 11 of whom are now MPs. As part of this campaign UKWIN produced a page for each of the English Regions and for each of the devolved nations making the case for signing the pledge. For details visit: https://ukwin.org.uk/pledge/
We have followed this up with a letter calling on the UK Government to ban new incineration:
- First set of correspondence: Read the open letter signed by 50+ organisations to Steve Reed and Mary Creagh (31 July 2024) and read Mary Creagh’s reply (10 September 2024)
- Second set of correspondence: Read the response to Mary Creagh’s reply (27 September 2024) and read Mary Creagh’s reply to the response (2 December 2024)
- See press kit / press release
- Take part in ‘write to your MP’ action