Action Briefing Aug 2003- Sept 2003
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

West Midlands News

Incinerators: will they never learn?

The problem with incinerators or 'thermal treatment plants' is that they have a habit of coming back. Following the recent campaign victory in Kidderminster, the Council formed a public consultation process on the future of waste in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Despite campaigners' calls for Zero Waste options, a report went to the Cabinet on 10th July which - surprise, surprise - contained recommendations for thermal treatment.

The chosen best practical environmental option (BPEO) for municipal solid waste is based upon a minimum of 33% recycling/composting and a maximum of 22% landfilling with any balance being managed through thermal treatment. It goes on to say that thermal treatment could "include gasification, pyrolysis as well as incineration with energy recovery." The approved BPEO will now inform Worcestershire's Waste Local Plan, a timetable for which has still to be agreed with the Government Office.

So we now have a new campaign on our hands - but as yet no site or sites. It is fair to say that within this process there may well be campaigns against recycling facilities as well as against waste-of-energy incinerators and their cousins. We will need to balance measures to reduce waste arisings along with proper resource management/recycling facilities while at the same time fending off thermal treatment plants which are essentially a waste of resources.

Chris Crean