Cost of cancelling incinerator to burn rubbish is not viable says new NLWA leadership

The Green Party leadership of North London Waste Authority now say they back a controversial incinerator in Edmonton after inheriting a “poisoned chalice” that they say would be too costly to cancel.

Ahead of the May elections, Greens across north London said they would explore “every option to cancel” the £1.5bn reconstruction of the Edmonton Eco Park incinerator.

But now the party has taken over the North London Waste Authority (NLWA), it says it has been “left with no better options” and the only options are rebuilding the incinerator “or bankruptcy”.

The NLWA is controlled by councillors from Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest. It is responsible for disposing of waste from around two million residents across the seven boroughs.

In a statement from the board’s controlling seven members, the Greens said they “instinctively opposed” burning rubbish but would not “shy away from reality”.

“Since being elected as new board members, we have inherited a poisoned chalice in the Edmonton incinerator project,” the group said.

“We committed to exploring every alternative avenue, and we have done that. We have found that political mismanagement by the previous Labour-controlled board has left us with no better options.

“It is simply between this or bankruptcy.”

In their statement, the Greens said: “We will not shy away from the reality of the project in front of us. And we are determined to ensure that transparency and accountability are at the heart of all decisions going forward.”

“The authority, under Green leadership, has renegotiated a better contract [with contractor Acciona] that reduces the taxpayer burden.

“We have also introduced a set of checks and balances to avoid a return to the disorder which has characterised this project to date.

“We do this as we look at transformative, cross-borough approaches to increase recycling and food waste options, to drive better environmental outcomes and reduce costs. We further call on national government support to help us get there.”

A finance report to be presented to NLWA members at Camden Town Hall on 12 November assessed the cost of running the Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) compared with the cost of alternative ways to disposing of rubbish from the seven boroughs.

“Based on the latest 2026 forecast incorporating the renegotiated contract arrangements, the total cost for 2030/31 is estimated at approximately £167mn, compared with an estimated cost of approximately £270mn under the no-ERF scenario.”

The report states: “Overall, the analysis concludes that completing the ERF remains the more financially sustainable, operationally resilient and strategically flexible option over the long term.”

NLWA chair, Jacob Cable, a senior Hackney Green councillor, previously said it was “clear” that scrapping the project would be “devastating both financially for the seven constituent boroughs”.

The construction of a new incinerator has been plagued by slow progress and the current burner, commissioned in 1971, will stay in use until 2030.

Its replacement was initially intended to be up and running by 2027, until the project was hit by construction delays resulting from Brexit, the war in Ukraine and high interest rates. The scheme was approved in 2017 and work began in 2022.

It has been met with heavy pushback from resident groups, such as Stop the Edmonton Incinerator Now (Stein), who fear it could increase demand for waste and release harmful particles into the air.

The previous administration, headed by Waltham Forest’s Clyde Loakes, assured residents it would meet government standards and act as an “exemplar” for future projects.

The energy-from-waste incineration plant will use the process of selective catalytic reduction — converting nitrogen oxide into water and diatomic nitrogen — and a combined dry/wet scrubber to capture particles.

He said last year that scrapping the plans would be the “worst possible outcome” for more than two-million people.

He added that not completing the project would be “detrimental” to North Londoners and would deny them “a safe, clean and low-carbon solution for managing their waste”.

North London Waste Authority, Thursday 12 November 2026, Council Chamber, Camden Town Hall. Agenda and reports.

Additional reporting by Linus Rees.

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