Telford Public Meeting on Wednesday 19th November 2008

Telford’s waste: Up in Smoke?

Telford Friends of the Earth is holding a public meeting on the proposed waste incinerator at Granville with a special guest speaker and representatives from Telford PAIN (Protest Against Incinerator Now). This will be at 7.15 for 7.30pm, Wednesday 19 November, at Turreff Hall, Turreff Avenue, Donnington TF2 8HG.

SITA and Cyclerval (the planning applicant and partner) were invited to speak but declined the invitation. A representative from Telford & Wrekin Council will be in attendance but not appearing as a formal speaker or panel member.

Keith Kondakor, winner this autumn of the national Friends of the Earth Earthmover Award, will speak on the many reasons to reject this planning application. Telford PAIN representatives will provide arguments directly from the local communities against the incinerator, followed by a Question & Answers session.

The background to the planning application is the Council pursuing a waste management contract for residual waste (red wheelie bin) treatment. This flows from the Council’s waste management strategy which assumes household waste growing 3% every year from 2006/7 to 2010/11, 2.5% each year to 2016/17 and 1.5% each year to 2020/21. In reality Telford & Wrekin’s total municipal waste in 2000/1 was 88,675 tonnes and in 2007/8 had fallen to 85,997 tonnes. Residual waste was 81,316 falling to 53,820 tonnes due to increasing recycling and composting.

Robert Saunders, Telford FOE Co-ordinator, said:

The proposal is based on ever-increasing household waste in Telford & Wrekin yet national average municipal solid waste growth was negative in each of the last 6 years –and has fallen in Telford too! It also assumes Telford & Wrekin Council achieving a 40% recycling & composting rate in 2020/21 yet it achieved 36.5% in 2007/8 – with the community’s support – and this will increase further. National government requires at least 40% by 2010, 45% by 2015 and 50% by 2020 so the proposal has no logical basis.

Supermarkets are playing their part in tackling waste through the Courtauld Agreement which has objectives:
• To design out packaging waste growth by 2008 (already achieved: zero growth);
• To deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by 2010; and
• To identify ways to tackle the problem of food waste.

Local consultation by the Council for its waste management strategy revealed a large majority opposed the siting of an incinerator in the Borough.