Greenpeace activists disrupt work at the Bilbao incinerator. Banner reads STOP POISONING US - STOP INCINERATION
Global protests against waste incineration reached an all time
high today as Greenpeace joined 126 community groups and
environmental organisations spanning 54 countries (1), to call on
governments and industry to stop burning waste and to start
recycling it.
"Incinerators are multi-billion dollar polluters and waste the
planet's valuable resources. Rather than preventing pollution, they
burden communities with higher costs, dangerous pollution and cause
severe environmental degradation," said Greenpeace toxics
campaigner, Veronica Odriozola.
Today, in a global day of action spearheaded by Greenpeace and
GAIA, the Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance, community groups around
the world used a range of activities to highlight the danger and
cost of incineration and promote instead the prevention of waste
and the use of recycling. Starting in New Zealand, where protestors
climbed and capped the stack of New Zealand's biggest incinerator
at Auckland airport, demonstrations swept across the globe to
Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Africa, Europe, North
America and Latin America. In Auckland, three activists chained
themselves to the stack after fitting a capping device preventing
the incinerator starting work. In Ankara, Turkey, climbers abseiled
down the 127 metre high Atakule tower and hung a 150 square metre
banner reading "Ban the Burn". In Basingstoke, UK and in Bilbao,
Spain, protestors stopped construction at the sites of two new
municipal waste incinerators.
These and other international protests took place as world
leaders convened in Geneva for the first time since agreeing
persistent poisons must be eliminated under the Stockholm
Convention. However, they are still promoting industries that
release them into the environment. The Treaty identifies all waste
incinerators (2) as a primary source of PCBs, furans and cancer
causing dioxins, the most harmful chemicals known to science
(3).
"Governments know incinerators release dioxins but, instead of
instigating action plans to tackle the problem at source, they are
still promoting incineration around the world as a solution to the
waste crisis. Under the Stockholm Convention, they have an
obligation to prioritise alternative approaches to waste
management. To continue promoting incineration while agreeing to
eliminate persistent organic pollutants, is sheer hypocrisy," added
Odriozola.
The world is generating more and more waste (4). Many household
products, such as electrical equipment, paper and plastic products,
contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals that are released into the
environment when the products are incinerated, with severe
consequences for human health and the environment.
The chemicals released from incinerators cause a variety of
health problems; immune and reproductive system defects,
spontaneous abortions, respiratory diseases, diabetes, hormone
disruption and cancers. Significantly higher levels of dioxins are
found in people, food and soil near incinerators, in some areas
higher than levels the World Health Organisation considers safe
(5). They can also travel long distances, polluting the air, rivers
and seas even in regions remote from the industrial sources, such
as the Arctic. Some fish caught in European Union waters are so
contaminated with dioxins they have been declared unfit for human
consumption.
Government policy can encourage manufacturers to eliminate
materials and products that are not reusable, recyclable or
compostable. Careful segregation of the remaining waste must then
take place to recover it as a resource ready for reuse by
society.
"Instead of being reckless with our health and environment,
governments must start eliminating persistent poisons. Priority
must be given to setting up Zero Waste schemes (6) by stopping
industries manufacturing products containing toxic chemicals.
Non-toxic waste must then be segregated for composting, re-using
and recycling thereby rendering incinerators redundant. This would
be cheaper, create more jobs and eradicate a serious source of
pollution," said Greenpeace political advisor Kevin Stairs.
VVPR info: For stills: John Novis + 31 653819121. For video: Mim Lowe - + 31 2052495435 In May 2001, Greenpeace published 'Incineration and Human Health', a comprehensive review of all available scientific data on the impacts of incineration on human health and the effects of specific chemicals discharged from incinerators. see: www.greenpeace.org.au6 For more information on incineration, Zero Waste and today's actions, see: www.greenpeace.org.au/toxics/global.html or www.no-burn.org
Notes: 1 Greenpeace is a member of GAIA - Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance or Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives - a worldwide alliance of NGOs working to end all forms of waste incineration and to promote waste prevention and sustainable waste management. GAIA was formed in the lead up to the adoption of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in May 2001, and consists of 265 public interest groups from 55 countries. 2 The Treaty identifies all incinerators, including municipal and hospital waste incinerators and cement kilns that burn waste, as primary sources of dioxins.3 Eleven countries have ratified the Stockholm Convention so far. It takes ratification by fifty countries to bring the convention into force. The convention aims to eliminate all pops, starting with a list of 12, including dioxins, furans and PCBs. 4 The European Union predicts that, by 2010, Eastern Europe will double its municipal waste generation. Almost 800,000 tonnes of municipal waste is generated daily in Asia. By 2025 that amount is expected to exceed 1.83 million tonnes. In Britain, each person generates 500 kilograms of waste a year and the amount is on the increase. Each year 34 million tonnes of municipal waste is burnt in the US.