27 March 2008

A Campaign group has called for the Eastcroft incinerator to be closed after learning it has breached six permit conditions in six months.

An official written warning was issued to the owners, the Waste Recycling Group, by the Environment Agency, this month.

It followed six breaches since November, including emissions from the incinerator exceeding limits, failing to monitor emissions and failing to report these details to the agency on time.

 

The Environment Agency said there had been no risk to human health as a result of the breaches. But pressure group Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill (Nail) said the limits were there for a reason and is worried about the effect the excessive emissions will have on health.

Jon Beresford, chairman of Nail, has written to the agency calling for the incinerator to be shut down.

He said: "This incinerator has demonstrated time and time again that it cannot operate within the terms of its licence and this cannot be allowed to continue.

"How many times do there have to be pollution breaches before the Environment Agency do their job and take decisive action? We demand that the agency uses its power to shut the plant down now and prosecute the owners."

The agency is not planning to prosecute at this stage but has demanded the incinerator takes action and submits a report.

A spokesman from WRG said: "WRG reviewed all of its monitoring procedures late last year in the light of the deficiencies identified by both ourselves and the agency.

"We have taken steps to ensure monitoring procedures at Eastcroft will be robust. These measures have been discussed and agreed with the agency."

Plans to expand the incinerator, off London Road, by building a third line to expand the burning capacity from 150,000 to 250,000 tonnes of waste a year, are going to a public inquiry.