Burning waste is not the same as recycling

Sep 9 2009 Dumfries Standard Wednesday

Sir – I was thoroughly depressed to read of the council’s “success” in dealing with waste (Council Celebrate Waste Success, DGS, August 14).

Burning waste for energy recovery is not the same as recycling it, as is made clear by European legislation.

For example, Article 3(7) of the Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC) defines “recycling” as meaning “the reprocessing in a production process of the waste materials for the original purpose or for other purposes including organic recycling but excluding energy recovery”.

There are very good reasons for this emphasis on recycling.

Far more energy can be saved by recycling than can be recovered through incineration – five times as much in the case of plastics.

Less energy input means proportionately lower Co2 output.

Furthermore, incineration produces up to two tonnes of Co2 for every tonne of waste that is burnt, thus adding to global warming.

Then there are the health issues related to incineration.

For every report that says modern incinerators are safe, there are a dozen more that question this.

For example, a new report by Dr Vyvyan Howard (Particulate Emissions and Health, June 2009) points out that the fabric filters used by incinerators fail to stop ultrafine particulates from being emitted to the environment.

Although the vast majority of ultrafine particulates are produced by traffic, those from incinerators are exceptionally dangerous because they carry dioxins, PCBs and reactive metals deep into the lungs, from where they can enter all parts of the body.

These substances are known to cause various types of cancer and lung disease.

To sum up, waste incineration is bad for the environment and bad for human health.

If your readers agree, then I would encourage them to join the National Gathering Against Incineration at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, October 1.

Together we will tell the Scottish Government: “No waste incineration in Scotland”.

Phone 01828 627124 for more information.

Michael Gallagher

33 Precinct Street

Perthshire