The perils of clean energy waste

The problem with wind turbines and solar panels is that when they wear out or become inefficient, they need to be disposed of safely.

This means over the next couple of decades we will have to deal with about 20,000 electricitygenerating monstrosities and millions of toxic panels.

In the US, some old wind turbine blades are being buried in massive trenches.

In the Netherlands, some have even been used as children’s playground equipment.

Therefore, why aren’t our MPs demanding to know how many trenches and playgrounds will be needed in the UK?

As for the millions of solar panels, they may be easier to bury but the amount of toxic chemicals likely to leak into the ground is frightening. Even if companies claim to be able to recycle some of the components, it’s to be hoped the procedure is much more efficient than our current plastic recycling.

In our race to decarbonise energy production, millions of people are enduring fuel poverty while many companies are struggling to continue manufacturing goods in the UK.

This so-called clean energy is damaging to our health, economy and environment.

Alan Aitchison, Wakefield