Waste Recycling Group
Profiting from your Pollution
Background
Nottingham
City Council sends 60% of the household waste it collects to Eastcroft incinerator, near Trent Bridge.
Instead of increasing recycling rates, Waste Recycling Group (WRG) have applied
to the Environment Agency for a permit to expand the incinerator, by building a
WRG proposals are to build a repeat of the two current incinerators which were build in 1972. WRG could build a more modern design such as a fluidised bead type which operate more efficiently. However they have chosen this 1960's design to save the additional cost of building a more modern facility.
The expanded incinerator would be able to burn 250,000 tonnes of waste a year, the additional amount being imported into Nottingham from the East Midlands, making Nottingham the Dustbin of the Midlands.
WRG have submitted an application for an IPPC licence for the existing incinerator and the proposed expansion. This application is for a licence to operate. WRG have also submitted a planning application, which if granted will give them permission to construct the third incinerator.
The IPPC plans submitted by WRG reveal the incinerator's existing two furnaces do not comply with best practice, because they do not achieve a two second residence time for the hot gases. This two-second burn time is designed to minimise poisonous emissions. WRG have requested a 'derogation' to allow this old, polluting incinerator to continue to burn 150,000 tonnes of waste each year, in addition they want to expand by a further 100,000 tonnes a year.
They have added a long list of types of industrial
waste, which they want to burn. This includes wastes from the leather industry,
chemical processes, pharmaceuticals, etc. It also includes several types of
separately collected waste, which should be recycled.
They claim they will reduce chimney emissions. But
they actually suggest annual limits a lot higher than current emissions - for
example up to 100kg mercury, even though current mercury emissions are closer
to 1kg each year. Mercury vapour is of course highly poisonous.
The incinerator would then be able to
take virtually all of the household waste from the whole of Greater Nottingham
- including waste, which should be recycled.
Waste Recycling Group are asking for permission to incinerate 64 types
of waste such as:
·
Animal tissues
·
Tanned leather
containing chromium
·
Carbon black from
chemical processes
·
Waste plastic from
synthetic rubber manufacture
·
Waste paint and varnish
·
Waste preparation
mixture from thermal processing
·
Various packaging wastes
·
Insulation materials
·
Wood and plastic from demolition
·
Waste from markets
Pollution Emissions
Waste Recycling Group's own figures estimate that the pollution permitted each year from the expanded incinerator, within the Waste Incineration Directive limits (365 times daily limit) would be:
· 400 tonnes nitrogen dioxide - Global warming gas responsible for climate change
· 100 tonnes sulphur dioxide - Creates sulphuric acid causing acidic rain.
· 100 tonnes carbon monoxide - Toxic if inhaled, turns in Carbon Dioxide another global warming gas
· 20 tonnes particulates - Respiratible problems particularly with small particles that get lodged into the lungs.
· 20 tonnes hydrochloric acid - Creates hydrochloric acid causing acidic rain
· 2 tonnes hydrogen fluoride
· 20 tonnes volatile organic compounds
· 100kg mercury - Highly toxic
· 100kg cadmium and thallium - Highly toxic
· 1 tonne other heavy metals- Highly toxic
· 200mg dioxins & furans TEQ - Classified as the most cancerous substances known to science.
These figures include emissions from all three lines, but do not include breaches of emission limits which are permitted for up to 60 hours a year for each type of emission.
Why Should we stop the Expansion?
Nottingham City has one of the lowest recycling rates in the country, only 8.8%. Instead of increasing this to a more acceptable level it proposes to increase the incineration rate by building a third incinerator and import other household and industrial waste.
§ Proposals could mean that waste is imported into Nottingham from Leicestershire, Derbyshire,
Lincolnshire and incinerated in Nottingham to poison the residents of
Nottingham.
§
Incinerators
are highly polluting and poorly regulated.
§
Released
toxic pollution includes heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium, tin
and other poisons such as PCB's and Dioxins, which are extremely cancerous.
§
The most poisonous substances, such as PCB's and Dioxins are only spot
measured twice a year, so the overall discharged levels are estimated levels.
§
They
released global-warming and acid rain gases.
§ Traffic to the plant will increase to 264 vehicles movements a day, six days a week.
§
Using
incinerators for heat and power is highly inefficient as much of the heat is released
into the atmosphere. Far more energy is saved if the waste is recycled.
§
The district-heating scheme
associated with the incinerator is costing Nottingham's Council Tax payers
around a £1,000,000 per year to keep afloat.
§
Much of what the incinerator burns could otherwise be recycled,
thereby reducing pollution & employing more people.
Waste reduction, re-use and recycling along
with composting of biodegradable waste are far superior to incineration, in
terms of their impact upon health and the environment. They also generate
employment, conserve the earths dwindling resources and produce useful
materials. They are also far more likely to win popular acceptance with the
public who are forced to live close to waste management facilities.
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