Politicians united against the proposed Incinerator

90 people from all over Shewsbury and surrounding areas turned out on a wet and windy Friday night to hear Dr Dick van Steenis talk about the health effects of incineration. Also on the platform were politicians from all 3 main parties plus the Green Party. The meeting was chaired by Independent SABC councillor, Claire Wild. Dr van Steenis, who has made a 13-year study of the health effects of incineration, told the audience what we can expect if the incinerator is built: an increase in infant mortality, heart attacks, asthma, cancers, autism, ADHD and crime downwind (north and east) of the incinerator as far as 15 miles away.



PICTURED, A FRENCH INCINERATOR: French doctors have recently called for a moratorium on incineration


On non-windy days, the whole area within 2 miles of the incinerator will be affected; this will include the planned food enterprise park, the abbatoir, and a large residential area. He told the meeting that the main problem is particulates - tiny particles of heavy metals etc - which are invisible and lodge in the deepest part of the lungs. They are currently not monitored in this country and there are no plans to do so. Incinerators also emit other pollutants such as dioxins and furans, also highly toxic even in the infinitessimaly small quantities Veolia keep mentioning.

As well as being scientifically authoritative, Dr van Steenis, was witty and not afraid to mince words - 'Veolia talk about state of the art, well it's the wrong state and the wrong art.'; 'America doesn't want incineration any more so why are Veolia offloading this junk onto us - it's immoral - where are their morals?'

He also talked about plasma gasification, which he believes is the safest alternative to incineration.

Also on the platform was Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, Daniel Kawczynski, who made no bones that he lived in one of the potentially worst-affected places - Astley - with his wife and young child and that he intends to pursue the issue in parliament. He also made his office and researcher available to the campaign.

Cllr Miles Kenny (Lib Dem, SCC) told the meeting that he was one of the four councillors who had voted against the incinerator. He described the council as 'target-driven' which had contributed to the decision. He also felt that most councillors had acted in ignorance. He also advised campaigners of the need to educate people and that everyone should be lobbying their councillor.

pictured (left) a 'clean' Veolia incinerator at Chineham, near Basingstoke

Cllr Alan Mosley (Labour leader, SCC) confessed to the meeting that he had actually voted for the incinerator but had since done a lot of research and had realised his mistake. He told the meeting how Veolia had 'soothed' councillors with a trip to the Basingstoke's shiny clean-looking incinerator (no nasty black smoke that day, of course) with a free lunch (!) thrown in. He also informed the meeting about the process leading up to the contract being signed, how it had managed to avoid the normal scrutiny process (he is chair of SCC's Scrutiny panel) and that the council is obliged by the terms of the 27-year contract with Veolia to support the planning application when it goes in at the end of 2008.

This last fact was not generally known but the Shropshire Star, hitherto largely hostile to our campaign managed to put it on the front page on Saturday. Thank you to the Shropshire Star -Safe Waste in Shropshire hopes they keep this up! Local newspapers can play a crucial part in educating the public in the issues and even hosting the debate. (Veolia knows this and avidly analyses the media coverage of the proposed incinerator). The Norwich Evening News, by supporting the local anti-incinerator campaign, helped to stop an incinerator being built there.

Steve Boulding from Shropshire Green Party reminded the meeting that waste management should be seen as part of a bigger environmental picture. He pledged his party's support for the anti-incineration campaign.

On BBC Radio Shropshire on Saturday morning, John Collis, Veolia's project manager in Shropshire was given a whole hour to answer questions. The pretext for the show was the Safe Waste in Shropshire public meeting but Dr van Steenis got about 20 seconds of air time. The presenter, Eric Smith, did however question Mr Collis closely on the health issues. Mr Collis seemed to suffer from an inability to answer direct questions such as 'If you wanted to build this kind of incinerator in the US, would you get permission?'. He also told people that Dr van Steenis was a lone voice. This is true if you discount the World Health Organisation, the British Society for Ecological Medicine, Greenpeace scientists, the Irish Doctors Environmental Association, and many other independent experts. French doctors have called for a moratorium on incineration.

TOGETHER, WE CAN STOP THE INCINERATOR: JOIN SAFE WASTE IN SHROPSHIRE.