Council to decide on incinerator

May 5 2009 by David James, South Wales Echo

PLANS for a controversial incinerator in Cardiff are being brought back before the city’s planning committee tomorrow before councillors have been able to visit a working trash-burning plant.

A rival company that owns the waste incinerators in Southampton and Sheffield [known as Veolia, or 'vile odour'] that the committee discussed visiting has refused to co-operate, according to councillors.

As a result, plans for an incinerator to burn 350,000 tonnes of waste in Splott will be discussed at a planning meeting in City Hall tomorrow. Officers are recommending the plans be approved.

Green groups objecting to the proposal by incinerator firm Viridor are planning to mount protests at the meeting.

Councillors on the committee have already visited a non-operational plant in Slough but opponents argue the committee is not only assessing the visual impact of the building but the overall effect of a trash-burning facility.

In their recommendation of the proposal, officers indicate that burning is a “preferred” way to deal with black-bag waste once the Lamby Way landfill closes. But the Countryside Council for Wales has raised concerns about the effect of emissions on the Severn Estuary and Cardiff Beech Woods.

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/101635.aspx

Veolia (ES) UK Ltd, which runs a hazardous waste treatment facility in Bootle, has today (13 January 2009) been fined £101,000 for an incident in April 2006 which caused the release of toxic fumes.

Bootle company fined £101,000
Veolia (ES) UK Ltd, which runs a hazardous waste treatment facility in Bootle, has today (13 January 2009) been fined £101,000 for an incident in April 2006 which caused the release of toxic fumes. The fumes led to four members of staff receiving medical treatment, and several members of the public reporting side effects. The company has also been ordered to pay costs of £65,000.

Veolia ES (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to eight charges brought against them in a joint prosecution by the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive before District Judge Abelson at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court.

On 27 April 2006 the site breached a number of conditions of its waste management licence. The site accepted a waste which it was not permitted to hold, and then stored this with another chemical waste. The resulting reaction caused toxic fumes to be released which affected members of staff and the public. The situation was made worse because the emergency plans which the company had in place were not followed and were inadequate…

and
http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=15874&channel=0

Toxic fumes land firm with £100K fine
A major waste firm has been fined more than £100,000 after workers were poisoned by toxic fumes at a hazardous waste treatment site.

Veolia Environmental Services UK pleaded guilty to a total of eight charges of breaching health and safety and environmental protection laws.

It admitted accepting waste it was not permitted to hold at its site in Bootle, on Merseyside, in April 2006, and storing it with another chemical substance, which caused the release of toxic fumes.

The fumes left four employees needing medical treatment and caused side effects among people living nearby.

South Sefton Magistrates Court ordered the company to pay a £101,000 fine, as well as £65,000 costs.

The court heard that the situation had been made worse because the company’s emergency plans were inadequate, were not followed and hindered the emergency services.

The conviction was the result of a joint prosecution by the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Mark Easedale from the Environment Agency said: “This incident highlights the importance of ensuring correct procedures are followed to ensure there is no harm to the environment when hazardous waste is being handled.”

HSE inspector Daniel Longdon said: “This was a totally avoidable incident had the proper procedures been in place and it was only through good fortune that the consequences were not more serious.”

A Veolia Environmental Services spokesperson told edie the company regretted the incident…