Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, has joined the calls to stop the expansion of Edmonton Incinerator. Speaking at the 'Meet the Mayor Event at the IMAX Cinema near Waterloo, he said that there should be no expansion of incineration capacity in London and that the city should achieve 40% recycling rates so that incineration was unnecessary.
Greenpeace rejected claims by London Waste Ltd that the action at Edmonton incinerator resulted in pile ups of domestic and clinical waste.
London Waste Ltd stated that all domestic waste was being diverted to landfill while the total amount of clinical waste going to Edmonton is less than one percent of the total waste stream.
London Waste Ltd was fined £8,500 in 1998 for "burning clinical waste of types not permitted by the authorisation and a further charge of failing to comply with an Enforcement Notice issued under Section 13 of the Act" . Altogether, London Waste Ltd was guilty on 19 separate charges relating to clinical waste disposal.
Matthew Spencer, Campaign Manager at Greenpeace in the UK, said: " We welcome Ken Livingstone's clear statement that new incineration should not be considered for London and that incineration can be avoided by recycling. The ball is now firmly in the Government's court. They should turn down Edmonton's application for expansion, withdraw its operating license and give local authorities the mandate to pursue a massive programme of recycling"
He added: "London Waste Ltd has a real cheek lecturing others on safe waste disposal given its appalling track record. Hospital waste has to be dealt with safely but Edmonton's record show that incineration is not the way to do it. Most hospital waste is not dangerous and can be safely dealt with like normal rubbish. For the tiny fraction that needs special treatment, the safest way is to use high-tech processes like autoclaving, microwave disinfection or superheated steam sterilisation."
Responding to claims that the Greenpeace action might result in domestic rubbish building up in North London, Matthew Spencer said: "Yesterday London Waste Ltd said that domestic rubbish was being diverted to landfill so it's difficult to see why waste should build up anywhere. We have no desire to inconvenience the public in North London and don't believe our actions will lead to any disruption. At the moment the rubbish leaves through your door in a black plastic bag and comes back through your window as air pollution. Obviously landfill is a bad option for rubbish when it should be recycled and reused but the important thing is to shut down Edmonton and stop the toxic cloud of emissions that it spews out every day onto North London residents."
Notes to Editors:
[1] Edmonton incinerator is currently shut due to five Greenpeace volunteers occupying the chimney.
[2] Environment Agency press release, "London Waste Ltd fined £8,500 for waste offences", 24 July 1998, ref: 105/98
