'Stop The Incinerator' launch meeting tonight

14.09.09 for immediate release

PRESS RELEASE – Local residents, environmentalists (1) and Green politicians join forces to form ‘Stop the Incinerator’ campaign.

Following a less than transparent South London Waste Partnership workshop on September 7th, frustrated local residents, environmentalists and politicians are pressing ahead with an anti-incinerator campaign. The official launch will be on 23^rd September, 7.30pm at Ruskin House, Coombe Road, Croydon.

The campaign calls for an immediate end to the South London Waste Partnership in its present form, a zero waste strategy, a comprehensive government commissioned study identifying the health effects of incinerators, an extensive information campaign to inform people of the importance of recycling and an immediate reversal of the European Parliament’s decision to repackage incinerators as ‘energy from waste’ plants.

Chair of the organisation, local resident Paul Pickering, said:

“The numbers attending the workshop indicate that people are still unaware about the issues surrounding this critical development and the impact it will have on their lives, their health and the value of their properties.”

The newly formed anti-incinerator group will become the latest member of the UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN) which is the umbrella group of dozens of anti-incineration groups across the country. UKWIN (2) opposes incinerators for the following reasons:

• It depresses recycling and wastes resources
• Releases greenhouse gases
• Is often forced through against strong public opposition
• Relies on exaggerating future quantities of waste instead of strongly increased recycling and composting
• Creates toxic emissions and hazardous ash
• Poses significant health risks

Mr Pickering continued:

“To my surprise, we have found that the government’s planned roll out of incinerators is fostering similar campaign groups across the country. We are not the only ones worried.”

Secretary for the Stop The Incinerator campaign group, the Green Party’s Shasha Khan said:

“The key consultation was the first one, which was hardly publicized, because arguably, it has given the council the ticket it needed to procure. If the Green Party had not obtained the procurement contract, the council would not have been forced to make statements about the nature of the waste plan.

Mr Khan continued:

“The authorities have confused the issue for their own gain. On the one hand the Labour government is pushing forward with a new generation of incinerators across the country but on the other, Labour councillors are claiming to be anti-incineration. Also, the Conservative council are stating that they won’t build an incinerator, yet because of European legislation, pushed through by Labour and the Tories, these incinerators will arguably be masquerading as ‘energy from waste’ plants to get past local opposition.

“Given that the consultation has been a public relations masterclass that has left local people feeling uncertain, we felt it was important to start a campaign that could answer those questions that remain unanswered, based on precedents.

The campaign group’s web site can be found at www.stoptheincinerator.co.uk. There is bank of information already available on the site as well as an online petition.

The launch meeting will have guest speakers who defeated the proposed mass burn incinerator in Capel, Surrey earlier this year as well as other experts on this issue.

Ends

Notes:

(1) Members of Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace

(2) http://ukwin.org.uk/

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Tags croydon, greenparty