The future of UK government hopes to use local landfill sites to dispose of huge quantities of low-level nuclear waste will come under scrutiny today with the opening of a planning inquiry into the first such case.
This diverts resources to landfill and gives rise to greenhouse gas emissions, because the rotting food produces methane that is not captured and adds to the concentration of carbon in the air.
Welcome to the US border town of Nogales, home to the largest fresh-produce gateway into the US – a Big Food superhighway where convoys of vast trucks roll in from Mexico, sometimes dumping mountains of crops into landfill if, for example, the price of Florida tomatoes suddenly drops.
A dystopian hinterland where terror reigns, and everyone is a potential suspect and afraid of ending up in the "Landfill" – a place of unspeakable horror.
The AI Group also notes that the "safeguards mechanism" – which is supposed to ensure that industrial emissions do not rise and cancel out any reductions bought primarily from avoiding tree-clearing and capturing gases from landfill – would need "substantial amendment" if it was to help reduce greenhouse emissions.
The Labour-run council claims the move is part of a strategy to turn Bury into a "zero waste borough", boost recycling and save money on landfill fees.
Charcoal making might even work instead of landfill for waste paper and plastic.
The inquiry by the Planning Inspectorate will hear an appeal by Augean, a hazardous waste specialist company, which wants to put rubble, soil and other low-radioactive waste – mostly from nuclear power stations – into a landfill site near Peterborough, Northamptonshire.
Hague mumbled something about Labour promises to ban food waste from landfill before ending on "It's in Labour's DNA / Now over to Theresa May".
"There's got to be a proper policy, rather than ad hoc dumping it in rural landfill".
An EA spokesperson said: "We will not authorise a site for landfill disposal of LLW [low level waste] unless we are satisfied that the wastes proposed for disposal are safe".
