press releases

The proposed expansion of Edmonton incinerator (currently being considered for approval by Stephen Byers, Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry) could result in an extra seven deaths per year according to Government figures released by Greenpeace today]. The expansion would also cause 80,000 extra journeys by rubbish trucks and cause an increase in polluting emissions equivalent to 250,000 car journeys per day.

Greenpeace today condemned the Evening Standard for inaccurate journalism after a front page story about Greenpeace 'creating a waste peril' was shown to be untrue.

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.

Greenpeace ( 9/10/00) invaded Edmonton waste incinerator in North London - Britain's biggest rubbish incinerator plant. Sixty-five Greenpeace volunteers, including core teams of skilled climbers, occupied key areas of the plant in a bid to stop it burning household waste. The volunteers intended to close the incinerator completely to prevent it emitting a cocktail of chemicals that can cause cancers and asthma attacks.

Edmonton incinerator stopped burning rubbish and Greenpeace volunteers occupied the chimney. Volunteers capped one of the two flue outlets. The capping is intended to prevent the incinerator from restarting operations now that the furnace has been closed and involves sealing the flue with planks slotted into a metal frame. Other Greenpeace volunteers occupied the mechanical grabs inside the plant in order to prevent rubbish being loaded into the furnace.

Greenpeace today revealed Government contracts for a massive network of waste incinerators to burn Britain's household rubbish (1). Taxpayers money is to be used to subsidise a four-fold increase in municipal waste incinerators across the country, despite evidence that burning rubbish produces a toxic cocktail of chemicals can cause cancer, asthma attacks and birth defects.

A new opinion poll released at the Greenpeace Business Conference reveals that the public is willing to pay the current fuel tax so long as a proportion of it is guaranteed to be spent on the environment. A survey by NOP shows that 68% of respondents would be happier paying the current tax if some of it was spent on 'reducing pollution...by investing in public transport and developing green fuels'.

Greenpeace challenges fuel blockaders and argues the case for maintaining current levels of fuel tax

'The Wind' a remarkable new short film commissioned by Greenpeace and directed by Julien Temple, will receive its world premier at the Greenpeace Business Conference in London today (5 October 2000).

'The Wind' celebrates the massive, but as yet untapped, potential of renewable energy resources in Europe in the 21st Century. It also highlights the very real dangers of climate change and the impact this is already having on people's lives throughout the world.

The results of the NOP survey will have serious implications for supermarkets which are already beginning to reject GM-fed animal products. Iceland is intending to be entirely free of GM-fed animal products by this month while other supermarket chains are making strenuous efforts to source non-GM supplies.

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Contact:
Greenpeace press office on: 020 7865 8255