14th June 2003, UK. More than 235 groups from 62 countries today took action against waste incineration to serve notice to their governments that time is running out on the controversial technology despite vigorous attempts by the incineration industry to repackage their burners as renewable energy or modern thermal systems for waste disposal.

With the United Kingdom currently implementing a waste strategy that could well see the building of over 100 incinerators over the next 15 years. The members of Communities Against Toxics, Derby Friends of the Earth, Leicester Friends of the Earth, SWERF, REACT, SAGE, NIFE, the Zero Waste Chartists, Essex Friends of the Earth, GAIN are joining forces with other concerned citizens groups and holding demonstrations and actions around the country.
“With growing desperation to ensure the survival of their dying industry, incinerator pushers are scrambling to repackage and reinvent their technologies using various forms of greenwashing including referring to incinerators as clean, renewable energy sources or claiming to have ‘new’ variations like pyrolysis or gasification for the same old and discredited process,” said Ann Leonard, Co-Coordinator of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), which unites over 375 groups and communities fighting to end wasting and burning, from 77 countries.

The combined and simultaneous protest actions around the world mark the observance of the 2nd Global Day of Action against Waste Incineration, by far the most massive demonstration of public opposition to incinerators on a global scale. Spearheaded by GAIA, the yearly anti-incineration day of action intends to highlight the health, environmental, economic and social problems associated with waste burning and other polluting waste management practices, and at the same time promote safe and sustainable alternatives for preventing waste and managing society’s discards.

GAIA today released the report “Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology,” which explains why incinerators are an unsustainable and obsolete method for dealing with waste. The GAIA report concludes that incineration is a dying technology. As a waste treatment technology, it is unreliable and produces a secondary waste stream more dangerous than the original. As an energy production method, it is inefficient and wasteful of resources. As an economic development tool, it is a catastrophe, which drains money out of local communities and creates scarce and often dangerous jobs.

“Today’s actions are clear manifestations of the growing global resistance to the use of incinerators and other dirty forms of waste disposal. UK communities, frustrated by the apathy exhibited by politicians and local government officers towards the mountains of epidemiological evidence showing elevated ill-health around incinerators are quickly losing patience. Our politician’s refusal to take seriously any scientific study that goes against plans to build incinerators is putting the health of future generations in grave danger. Evidence of increased cancers, asthma, and malformations among children born in the proximity of incinerators is overwhelming, and being ignored by decision makers. With the possible exception of nuclear power, perhaps no other technology has stirred up such inflamed defiance from citizens and communities the world over. For this and other good reasons, governments around the world should pay heed and start implementing safe and sustainable alternatives to incineration,” said Ralph Ryder coordinator of UK based CATs and Western Europe Regional Node for GAIA.

Public opposition has killed many proposed and existing incinerators worldwide. For instance, at least 33 proposed burners have been refused planning permission in the UK due to public opposition and a massive grassroots movement has defeated more than 300 municipal waste incinerator proposals in the United States in the last 15 years. In Japan, the most incinerator intensive country, public pressure has resulted in over 500 incinerators being shut down in recent years. Jurisdictions in 15 countries have passed partial bans on incineration and one country, the Philippines, has banned all incineration.

Today’s actions also coincide with the first day of the Seventh Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC 7) meeting of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The Convention which has yet to be ratified by the British government aims to eliminate the most persistent toxic substances known to science, including the cancer-causing dioxins and furans.

The Convention identifies all waste incinerators, including cement kilns burning hazardous wastes, as major sources of dioxins and furans and polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs and recommends the use of substitute techniques to avoid the generation of these unintentionally produced pollutants. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) reports that incinerators account for 69% of dioxin emissions worldwide.

This year’s action surpasses the number of participating groups from last year’s Global Day of Action that drew 126 groups from 54 countries.

NOTE:

The GAIA Report “Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology" is available for free download at www.no-burn.org The Report discusses the problems with waste incineration and explains viable alternatives to this outdated method for dealing with waste. The report further talks about the expanding repudiation of incineration across the globe, including incinerator bans and moratoria imposed in several places. Neil Tangri, formerly of Essential Action USA wrote the report for GAIA.

Contacts:
For information on UK issues, activities, and local contacts please contact:
Ralph Ryder, CATs, Tel: 0151 339 5473
Email: ralph.ryder@communities-against-toxics.org.uk

For information on GAIA and the Global Day of Action, please visit www.no-burn.org

UK Activities.
The Communities Against Toxics will work with the British and European
Media to publicize the GAIA Global Day of Action.

No Incinerators For Europe will release the "Waste Incineration: A
Dying Technology" report to its media contacts by putting it on the NIFE site and mailing the press. The group also plans to release the report into the local fight in Essex.

The Sandwich Action Group for the Environment is arranging for a coach
Trip around Kent. The group will stop at every site threatened with
Incineration (five at present), hold a demonstration at every site and hear speeches from local campaigners and try to draw in the local media at every location.
From the last site, the group will travel to the headquarters of the Kent County Council, the government office that awards the contracts, and present officials a copy of the GAIA Report on waste incineration as well as information on Zero Waste and no burn residuals processing. The action will culminate with a Zero Waste picnic.

The Zero Waste Chartists is thinking of presenting the GAIA Report on
Waste incineration to the Secretary of State for the Environment and to the Minister for International Development in the UK.

Derby Friends of the Earth, Leicester Friends of the Earth and REACT
Are planning activities to mark the GDA 2003.