G. W. RAE

Introduction
Although reliable data are di¦cult to Þnd, it is estimated by the Department of the Environment1 that some 516 million tonnes of waste arise annually in the UK. Of this some 137 million tonnes is classiÞed as household, commercial, and industrial waste. These are the controlled wastes for which private sector companies are responsible at a range of waste management facilities. The proper disposal of these wastes is essential if public health and the environment are to be protected.Arange of disposal facilities are provided to deal with these wastes. But by far the most signiÞcant disposal route is landÞlling. Some 85 to 90% of all controlled waste go untreated to landÞll, with landÞll also acting as the Þnal repository for the residues from such waste treatment and waste reduction processes as are available. Currently there are some 6000 licensed landÞll sites in the UK.
The only serious, though limited, alternative to landÞll for most controlled wastes is incineration. Currently some 30 incinerators, all built by local authorities between 1968 and 1976, are operational. All of these are of the mass burn type, accepting waste without pre-processing, and most operate with a throughput of between 6 to 10 tonnes h~1. Only Þve of these plants recover
energy from the wastes. Collectively these incinerators deal with some 7% ofUK household and commercial waste. There is, however, little scope for increasing the throughput at these existing plants. The technologies employed are outmoded, particularly in terms of emission control, and without extensive retroÞtting none of these plants will meet the standards set out in the EC Directive on the Incineration of Municipal Waste.2 This directive comes into force in 1996 and at that time it is expected that all but one or two of these existing incinerators will close.