Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology - GAIA

stratospheric, including mercury at 2,406 percent, cadmium at 785 percent and lead at 136
percent above background levels. 79
Eventually, the national Environment Agency was compelled to act, but local citizens
consider the government’s role tantamount to a coverup. They point out that, although the
council maintains that only 2,000 tonnes of ash had been spread over 44 sites during the last six
years (between 10 and 150 tons per site), investigations by CATs and local residents have
revealed at least 25 other sites that received ash. Recent figures released by the council show
much more ash being removed from sites than the council admits was dumped. Consignment
notes also show some farms and a riding school as having received ash, which was initially
denied by council officials.
Similarly, the recent final report on the contamination excluded all mention of PCBs,
claiming that “they would have been destroyed in the incinerator” — despite the fact that PCBs
are also produced under incineration. Children under 10 years of age were similarly omitted,
and studies by the Environment Agency found levels of 1,100 nanogram/kg at a site where the
Ergo lab found 2,200 nanogram/kg.
“The Blucher allotment, which has levels of 9,500 nanogram/kg, has been visited 5 times
by EA officials,” says Ralph Ryder of CATs. “They claim there are no poultry on the site, but
anyone can still see at least 150 chickens running around the place. Residents are still eating the
eggs from these birds and I guess killing the odd chicken for Sunday dinner.”
EXPENSE
Incinerators tend to come in two varieties: the cheap and the prohibitively expensive.
Expensive incinerators are those with the latest air pollution control equipment, regular and
frequent emissions monitoring, specialized ash treatment and disposal methods, regular
maintenance and a trained operating crew. Even under these conditions, environmental problems
are inevitable, as described above. Cheap incinerators are those without some or any of the
above-mentioned safeguards. The environmental impact of such devices can only be imagined,
as they are in fact not monitored.
© Photo courtesy of Neil Tangri
26 Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology
© Greenpeace
© Greenpeace