New Report: Despite Green Claims, Incinerator Industry Just Blowing Smoke
For Immediate Release:
Embargoed
for June 15, 2009
Contact:
Sylvia Broude, (203) 589-9989
Bradley Angel, (415) 722-5270
Monica Wilson, (510) 883-9490 x 103
Despite Green Claims, Incinerator Industry Just
Blowing Smoke
New
report explains how waste incineration is harmful to people, the climate, and
the economy
Boston, Massachusetts; San Francisco, California; Berkeley, California; 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.
“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
Members of the
Press:
To set up an interview, or if you have any
questions, please contact:
Sylvia Broude, Toxics Action Center, Boston, MA
Bradley Angel, Greenaction for Health and
Environmental Justice, San Francisco, CA
Monica Wilson, Global Alliance for Incinerator
Alternatives, Berkeley, CA
(510) 883-9490 ext 103
