Date: June 15, 2009
Source: Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
The latest salvo in the highly charged debate over whether waste-to-energy qualify as a renewable energy source under the pending Climate Change bill is a report by a group of environmental activists that disparages all waste incineration technologies. Their report "An Industry Blowing Smoke," concludes that new incineration technologies, like older-style burners, are expensive, inefficient and contribute to both climate change and serious public health impacts. "Trash incineration is more carbon-intensive than coal power and a leading source of dioxins in the United States," according to the report. However, there may be more to the debate than meets the eye. The activists including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, California Communities Against Toxics, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and International Rivers are apparently coordinating their efforts with major labor unions under the umbrella of the Change to Win coalition, a group of unions formedin 2005 as an alternative to the AFL-CIO, in an effort to collaborate on the waste-to-energy issue. Behind the effort is the theory that recycling plants employ far more workers than do waste-to-energy plants and that raising costs to landfill will encourage more labor-intensive (job creating) recycling with less impact to the environment.
For more about this debate, see also: "Strange Bedfellows: Activists and Labor Opposing Credits for Waste-to-Energy," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20090505D.htm).
Press Release:
Despite Green Claims, Incinerator Industry Just Blowing Smoke
New report explains how waste incineration is harmful to people, the climate, and the economy
June 15 - Seven groups released a report today - illustrating the negative impacts of new waste incineration technologies. An Industry Blowing Smoke concludes that new incineration technologies, like older-style burners, are expensive, inefficient and contribute to both climate change and serious public health impacts. The report is available at www.no-burn.org/industryblowingsmoke.
"Trash incineration is more carbon-intensive than coal power and a leading source of dioxins in the United States," stated Sylvia Broude Lead Organizer for the Toxics Action Center in Boston, an environmental and public health non-profit. "Coming up with new ways to burn garbage is just another assault on public health and the climate."
In recent months, companies like Covanta, Casella and Waste Management have launched massive lobbying campaigns aimed at convincing state and federal governments to include waste incineration as a renewable source of energy in the Renewable Electricity Standard in the Waxman-Markey climate bill - a legislative tool used to help utilities transition from greenhouse gas-intensive power generation to renewable energy such as wind and solar.
The waste industry, which relies heavily on government subsidies and tax credits, is misleadingly marketing a new generation of incinerator technologies as green technologies. The new report debunks industry efforts to greenwash gasification, pyrolysis and plasma incineration, pointing to more sensible directions that should be considered by decision makers.
"Our communities need comprehensive zero waste plans that would help stabilize the climate, reduce toxic pollution and create jobs, not more incinerators in disguise," said Bradley Angel, Executive Director of Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice. Based in San Francisco, Greenaction has helped dozens of communities across the country stop new incinerators and landfills and promote safer, more economical options of recycling and composting. Recently, San Jose, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz County and Sacramento turned down gasification and plasma arc incinerator proposals.
According to An Industry Blowing Smoke, waste incineration competes with, and undermines the huge potential of green-collar job creation through recycling programs. According to Dave Ciplet - author of the report - recycling, re-use and composting create six to ten times the number of jobs than both waste incineration and landfills. "These new, expensive incinerators would keep much-needed funding and resources from being invested in real solutions," said Mr. Ciplet. "We could be creating millions of jobs nationwide by turning waste into work!"
"We can take immediate action on both the climate and economic crisis by rapidly moving towards a materials and energy efficient economy that does not involve burning or burying garbage," said Monica Wilson, International Co-Coordinator for the Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance, "Recycling literally works."
The full report can be downloaded at www.no-burn.org/industryblowingsmoke
###
Organizations Co-releasing the Report:
Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives: www.no-burn.org
Toxics Action Center: www.toxicsaction.org
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice: www.greenaction.org
Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League: www.bredl.org
Energy Justice Network: www.energyjustice.net
California Communities Against Toxics: www.stoptoxics.org
Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice: www.environmental-justice.org
Clean Water Action: www.cleanwateraction.org
To set up an interview, or if you have any questions, please contact:
Sylvia Broude, Toxics Action Center, Boston, MA
(203) 589-9989.
Bradley Angel, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, San Francisco, CA
(415) 722-5270.
Monica Wilson, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Berkeley, CA
(510) 883-9490 ext 103.
Sign up to receive our free Weekly News Bulletin