This cheery information is from an email that Safe Waste in Shropshire recently received from Dr Michael Warhurst, Senior Campaigner at Friends of the Earth.
'Shlomo Dowen at UKWIN (UK Without Incineration Network) http://www.ukwin.org/ has been pulling together a list of victories in 2009 – see below – and it is pretty impressive. It shows how effective local activists can be [ ] when they are provided with the information & support they need. It’s not all over – there are still a lot of projects out there (e.g. http://bit.ly/4Rwyh6),) but there is a feeling of dominos toppling.... and the fight will go on in 2010! Even George Osborne is fighting one:
http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/4796923.Osborne_backs_campaign_against_incinerator/
Derby incinerator turned down at planning - http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Protesters-jubilant-incinerator-plan-goes-smoke/article-1624683-detail/article.html
Surrey dropping incineration - http://www.letsrecycle.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=37&listcatid=217&listitemid=54150§ion=local_authority <http://www.letsrecycle.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=37&listcatid=217&listitemid=54150§ion=local_authority>
Luton dropping out of the waste PFI - http://ukwin.org.uk/2009/12/09/luton-borough-council-withdraws-from-bear-pfi-project-in-bedfordshire/ and http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/bed-news/Incinerator-plans-set-to-be.5638065.jp
Rufford (Sherwood Forest) inquiry adjourned until after Easter 2010
North Devon incinerator plans 'mothballed' - http://ukwin.org.uk/2009/12/14/north-devon-incinerator-plans-mothballed/
Tockwith, North Yorkshire - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/8413255.stm
Telford and Wrekin Council unanimously reject Sita’s waste incinerator proposal - http://ukwin.org.uk/2009/12/08/sita-loses-again-as-telford-wrekin-council-rejects-granville-incinerator/
Sita withdraws Ernesettle plans - http://ukwin.org.uk/2009/11/09/progress-in-plymouth/
Oxfordshire double victory - http://ukwin.org.uk/2009/10/20/big-wins-in-oxfordshire/
Oxfordshire – Sutton Courtenay and Ardley (see above)
(Indefinite?) delays in Hull
Invergordon – http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1358662?UserKey&UserKey <http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1358662?UserKey&UserKey> - but to be appealed http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1498541?UserKey=
Dunbar proposals defeated - http://business.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Campaigners-delighted-as-incinerator-plan.5608678.jp
Cornwall planning victory (to be followed by a victory at the public inquiry next year?!)
Cardiff incinerator plan dropped As a result of this, DEFRA’s list of PFI projects only has 2 projects left for approval with Hull, Derby and Dorset leaving the list in the last few days. Also many approved PFIs are still not built: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/funding/pfi/projects.htm
Surrey County Council drops incineration plans and aims for 70% recyling
Surrey Surrey County Council has recently turned down two proposed incinerators infavour of anaerobic digestion, two small gasification plants and a target of 70%recycling by 2013.[Compare this with Defra's unambitious target of 50% by 2020. Meanwhile, San Francisco's recycling is currently at 72% and the city is aiming for Zero Wasteby 2020!!
http://www.sfenvironment.org/our_programs/overview.html?ssi=3]
The report below, from Surrey County Council's website,
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Surrey+County+Council+drops+incineration+plans?opendocument points a way forward for all councils that go against incineration.
That definitely needs to include Shropshire!
[We should point out that we would have reservations about gasification, preferring a 'no-burn' solution.]
Come on, Shropshire!
County Council today announced that there are no longer plans to buildEnergy from Waste (EfW) incinerators in Surrey. Outlining the council's new waste strategy plans, Leader of the Council Dr Andrew Povey said: "I am very pleased to announce that we are scrapping plans for any EfW incinerators in Surrey. Today I will be instructing that the planning applications for incinerators at Capel and Trumps Farm be withdrawn.
"With our help, and that of our partners, our residents are now doing so well at producing less waste and recycling more that we are in a position to look at alternative methods of dealing with our waste and saving both money and ourcountryside."
The way to achieve this is by diverting waste from landfill. The practice is not only destructive to our landscape and environment but the taxation on landfill alone currently costs us over £7 million per year. This tax is increasing at an alarming rate and will have almost doubled by 2013. If we don't act now the Surrey taxpayer could be paying as much as £13m annually in landfill tax alone within four years, so our goal is to avoid putting any waste in landfill by then."
The council's new approach to waste will concentrate on reducing the amount of waste Surrey produces, encouraging people to reuse things where they can and recycle as much as possible after that. The new plans will lead to a reductionin the amount of household waste dealt with every year by 35,000 tonnes, enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall 14 times. As a result the county will be making substantial savings in waste disposal costs by 2013. Minimising waste alone will result in estimated savings of £3.5 million per year in disposal costs.
Cabinet Member for the Environment Lynne Hack said: "A key element of the county council's new waste vision is an Eco Park, which would be the first of its kind in the country. It would incorporate a range of waste treatment facilities, an innovation centre to look at and develop the latest technologies and an education centre open to all. "The proposed location is the existing waste management facility at Charlton Lane, Shepperton, which has been in waste management use for many years.
The buildings would be designed sympathetically to fit in with the surrounding area and would look much more attractive than the existing development. There would be a reduction in traffic compared with the existing operation."
The Eco Park would include an anaerobic digester and a gasifier, which would be half the size of the EfW plants originally envisaged for Capel and Trumps Farm." In a gasifier, waste is heated to produce a gas, which can then be burned cleanly at high temperatures to provide energy in a similar way to natural gas. Anaerobic digestion is a natural treatment by which food waste is broken down producing gases, which can be converted into energy. Last year 100,000 tonnes of food were thrown away in Surrey. The council is already working with the district and borough councils on separate food collections, which should be operating throughout the county by the time the digester is ready.
Because of successes in minimising waste and increases in recycling, Surrey requires much smaller plant than the proposed EfW incinerators. Together the gasifier and the anaerobic digester would treat 100,000 tonnes of waste per year, a considerable reduction from the 270,000 tonnes proposed for the EfWincinerators. They would produce enough energy to power 10,000 households, which equates to one fifth of the houses in Guildford. This 'green' energy would be sold to the national grid. The new Eco Park plans would cost £50m, significantly less than the £200m it would have cost to build two EfW incinerators.
Local residents would of course be consulted during the planning process and their views taken into account. Dr Povey concluded: "We are currently recycling about 47% of our waste; our target is to be recycling around 70% by 2013, which will put us among the best performers in the world. By taking this new approach and with this flexible use of new technologies we will be a world leader in dealing with waste. This strategy will reduce the carbon impact and cost less than previous solutions, making it the best value for money for the taxpayer."
http://www.sfenvironment.org/our_programs/overview.html?ssi=3]
The report below, from Surrey County Council's website,
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Surrey+County+Council+drops+incineration+plans?opendocument points a way forward for all councils that go against incineration.
That definitely needs to include Shropshire!
[We should point out that we would have reservations about gasification, preferring a 'no-burn' solution.]
Come on, Shropshire!
County Council today announced that there are no longer plans to buildEnergy from Waste (EfW) incinerators in Surrey. Outlining the council's new waste strategy plans, Leader of the Council Dr Andrew Povey said: "I am very pleased to announce that we are scrapping plans for any EfW incinerators in Surrey. Today I will be instructing that the planning applications for incinerators at Capel and Trumps Farm be withdrawn.
"With our help, and that of our partners, our residents are now doing so well at producing less waste and recycling more that we are in a position to look at alternative methods of dealing with our waste and saving both money and ourcountryside."
The way to achieve this is by diverting waste from landfill. The practice is not only destructive to our landscape and environment but the taxation on landfill alone currently costs us over £7 million per year. This tax is increasing at an alarming rate and will have almost doubled by 2013. If we don't act now the Surrey taxpayer could be paying as much as £13m annually in landfill tax alone within four years, so our goal is to avoid putting any waste in landfill by then."
The council's new approach to waste will concentrate on reducing the amount of waste Surrey produces, encouraging people to reuse things where they can and recycle as much as possible after that. The new plans will lead to a reductionin the amount of household waste dealt with every year by 35,000 tonnes, enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall 14 times. As a result the county will be making substantial savings in waste disposal costs by 2013. Minimising waste alone will result in estimated savings of £3.5 million per year in disposal costs.
Cabinet Member for the Environment Lynne Hack said: "A key element of the county council's new waste vision is an Eco Park, which would be the first of its kind in the country. It would incorporate a range of waste treatment facilities, an innovation centre to look at and develop the latest technologies and an education centre open to all. "The proposed location is the existing waste management facility at Charlton Lane, Shepperton, which has been in waste management use for many years.
The buildings would be designed sympathetically to fit in with the surrounding area and would look much more attractive than the existing development. There would be a reduction in traffic compared with the existing operation."
The Eco Park would include an anaerobic digester and a gasifier, which would be half the size of the EfW plants originally envisaged for Capel and Trumps Farm." In a gasifier, waste is heated to produce a gas, which can then be burned cleanly at high temperatures to provide energy in a similar way to natural gas. Anaerobic digestion is a natural treatment by which food waste is broken down producing gases, which can be converted into energy. Last year 100,000 tonnes of food were thrown away in Surrey. The council is already working with the district and borough councils on separate food collections, which should be operating throughout the county by the time the digester is ready.
Because of successes in minimising waste and increases in recycling, Surrey requires much smaller plant than the proposed EfW incinerators. Together the gasifier and the anaerobic digester would treat 100,000 tonnes of waste per year, a considerable reduction from the 270,000 tonnes proposed for the EfWincinerators. They would produce enough energy to power 10,000 households, which equates to one fifth of the houses in Guildford. This 'green' energy would be sold to the national grid. The new Eco Park plans would cost £50m, significantly less than the £200m it would have cost to build two EfW incinerators.
Local residents would of course be consulted during the planning process and their views taken into account. Dr Povey concluded: "We are currently recycling about 47% of our waste; our target is to be recycling around 70% by 2013, which will put us among the best performers in the world. By taking this new approach and with this flexible use of new technologies we will be a world leader in dealing with waste. This strategy will reduce the carbon impact and cost less than previous solutions, making it the best value for money for the taxpayer."
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