Greenpeace protesters outside the Edmonton incinerator
Four Greenpeace volunteers and a photographer go on trial at Wood Green Crown Court on May 30th
charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and criminal damage. The
charges relate to the Greenpeace occupation of Edmonton municipal waste
incinerator (North London) in October 2000 when the volunteers occupied the
top of the chimney for a period of four days and temporarily prevented the
incinerator from operating by blocking the flue. The occupation began on the
morning of 9th October and finished in the early hours of 13th October. The
volunteers braved appalling weather and cold to maintain their blockade and
were ultimately forced down by a combination of exposure, hunger and thirst.
The Crown Prosecution Service maintains that during the blocking of the flue
the Greenpeace volunteers caused damage to the structure of the chimney by
banging in various spikes and pins used to hold ropes. The defendants deny
this and are pleading not guilty to both charges. The seriousness of the
charges means that the case is being heard before a jury in a crown court
and could result in custodial sentences if the defendants are found guilty.
The defendants' principle defence is that they acted to prevent the law
being broken. The incinerator at Edmonton has breached legal pollution
limits on many occasions and the defendants had every reason to believe that
the incinerator was breaking the law at the time of the action.
Edmonton incinerator, Britain's largest rubbish burner, is owned by London
Waste Limited - a joint venture between seven North London boroughs and
SITA, a private French company. The Government is currently considering a
planning application to expand the capacity of Edmonton incinerator by 50%.
The most notorious by-products of burning rubbish are dioxins, which are
formed when substances that contain chlorine, like PVC plastic, are burnt.
Dioxins are highly toxic and accumulate in the food chain. The most
dangerous dioxin is classified as a human carcinogen by the International
Agency for Research on Cancer and has been described as the most toxic
chemical known to science.
The burning of household rubbish also leads to the formation of many other
new and toxic chemical compounds. The number of new substances released
from incineration may run into thousands and these will be emitted both as
toxic gases from chimneys and as contaminated ash. This leads to the
contamination of air, soil and groundwater, as well as plants, animals and
humans.
Greenpeace is currently campaigning for the closure of all municipal waste
incinerators in the UK (and indeed globally) and for an end to the current
expansion programme which could see up to 100 new incinerators being built
across the country.
The Greenpeace defendants are:
- Rob Gueterbock, 30, from London
- Frank Hewetson, 35, from London
- Richard Watson, 36, from Lancashire
- Janet Miller, 45, from Derbyshire
- Christian Aslund, 26, from Sweden