Monday 28 June 2010

We have lift off!

The very first Public Meeting of the no2incinerator group was held in Richmond Hill School at 6.30pm on Monday 21 June 2010 and despite stiff competition from both the World Cup and the first day of Wimbledon over 40 local residents came to have their say. Two out of three of the local councillors also came and the local MP Hilary Benn sent his apologies for being unable to attend.

There were two excellent presentations from both Sarah Covell, our Richmond Hill representative on the Inner East Area Committee, on the negative effects of another incinerator in our area, the opposite argument having already been put forward by the council and the Waste Management Team in expensively produced glossy leaflets and brochures and PowerPoint presentations at community meetings and Dr Stuart Hodkinson from Leeds University Geography Department on the structure of PFI's and their possible pitfalls and problems, especially over a 25 to 30 year life span.

The meeting then broke up into 5 groups so that residents could discuss amongst themselves what they had heard and what questions they felt had still not been addressed to their satisfaction.

Throughout the meeting refreshments were on offer including delicious home make cakes and it was generally felt that the introduction of a sound system greatly enhanced the meeting making it very much easier for everyone to hear what was said and that the visual presentation improved the delivery of what might have been otherwise very important but dry statistics.

When the meeting broke up the questions generated by the 5 groups where collected and these will be collated and will be put to the relevant people who have the real answers at our next meeting which we are in the process of arranging.

All in all it was generally felt that the meeting was a great success and that it was also a powerful demonstration of the concern, interest and commitment of the people of East Leeds in general and the people of the Richmond Hill Ward in particular regarding the sheer numbers of incinerators being proposed within such a short distance of our homes and communities.

Our first meeting was also reported in the local Guardian, and you can read the report here.

We are now in the process of arranging the next meeting and will be publicising this widely and continuing to build on the community's success in standing together on this very important issue for us all.

Monday 21 June 2010

What do we know so far

£68.6 million has been put aside by the government to help the council build a facility to deal with the waste that is not recycled.

In July 2008, the council advertised a contract to build and run a ‘residual waste treatment facility’. By January 2009, eight bidders had put forward proposals. The council short-listed to four proposals in April 2009, and the to two in February 2010.

The process to buy this facility is both site and technology neutral. This means the council has never had a preference for a particular site or technology treatment.

The final two bidders are:

■Aire Valley Environmental who are proposing to build a facility at the current Knostrop sewage treatment site
■Veolia ES Aurora Ltd who are proposing to build a facility at the former wholesale market on Cross Green industrial estate
In the coming years the key dates are:

■Summer 2010 – Public consultation to inform final proposals
■Autumn 2010 – Final proposals from two bidders
■Summer 2011 – Successful bidder chosen
■Autumn 2011 – Bidder submits planning application
■Autumn 2011 – Public consultation on planning application begins
■Autumn 2012 – Planning decision
■Autumn 2012 – Construction begins
■Summer/Autumn 2015 – Facility starts processing waste

source:LCC Municipal Waste Strategy

Monday 14 June 2010

No2incinerator Public Meeting




Dear friends, this is it! The first public meeting organised entirely by the NO2incinerator campaign, organised entirely by residents of East Leeds.

Please join us to talk about what's coming to our area, decide how we all feel about it and voice our opinions to the City Council.

Friday 11 June 2010

For a better debate and a better community..






This is only a brief note to say that we started this blog to provide information, to spark debate and exchange opinions.

There is a lot of work yet to be done and it takes time to get things right. We welcome comments and criticism and we would also welcome contributions from friends and neighbours- just send us your thoughts and ideas either by e-mail or as comments.

I would just like to say that the reason we started this blog and joined the campaign against the incinerator in Leeds, is that we are committed to our area, that we want to see it flourish, that we want to see are communities grow stronger, our environment cleaner and our streets safer- that we love our area and we are willing to work hard to make it a better place to live.

How we are going to accomplish that, it remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, keeping an open mind about things and respecting people's rights to voice an opinion, is probably a good start.

Monday 7 June 2010

A note on statistics






Statistics tell us (2007) that East End Park/Cross Green is low demand and in decline. Within worst 1% of the country of area and falling. People die earlier in areas of deprivation, so what’s another incinerator in the ghetto?



Vast profits are to be made for chosen bidder on PFI contract if planning for a third incinerator goes through.



Simultaneous with the plans over the last few years to place an incinerator here, the area has been systematically degraded. Long-term residents have left in droves. Replaced with Bail hostels, asylum seekers, probation hostels, homeless families, evictees from other areas. Private landlords who are known to have breached health and safety rules, all are operating here, with, it would appear, impunity. Everyone needs to live somewhere, that is not disputed, but Leeds City Council seem reticent to give figures as to what the ratio of ‘vulnerable groups’ now placed in East End Park and Cross Green is, compared with the rest of the city.



In addition to the points made against another incinerator on ‘No to Incinerator’ leaflet, we should request: an independent assessment of the current land contamination in the sites proposed for third incinerator and surrounding residential areas. We should also look to research recently published, amongst which, Health Effects of Waste Incineration, 4th Report of British Ecological Society.



Article 8 ECHR 1.14 Article 8, which protects the individual's right to respect for his or her private and family life and home, has been interpreted by the Court of Human Rights as applying where an individual is directly and seriously affected by environmental pollution.



Submitted by Maureen Aylward

The picture today was taken from here

Thursday 3 June 2010

In the next few months Leeds City Council will make a major decision on how to deal with household waste. The Council is committed to burning waste which cannot be recycled.

NIL - No Incinerator, Leeds is a new campaign led by local residents and interest groups to vigorously oppose the building of a waste incinerator.

Our aims are:

 To oppose incineration, in any form, as a means to deal with municipal waste in Leeds
 To oppose any waste processing facilities of any kind at Cross Green due to the impact on local residents
 To stop the Council’s current procurement process for a waste incinerator
 To make the Council immediately start a new procurement process without incineration and to evaluate sites other than Cross Green and Knostrop sewage works
Why waste incineration is the wrong solution:

 Once built the incinerator will run for at least 25 years burning the same amount of waste. This will undermine people’s confidence in recycling schemes. In Europe countries with high numbers of waste incinerators have the lowest recycling rates

 Incinerators produce dangerous gases and dust affecting human health

 Emissions from incinerators are controlled, but the legal limits do not meet any Standards set by a health authority, no such standards exist. The gases and very fine soot from waste incinerators have been linked to chronic lung and heart diseases, cancer, birth defects, kidney failure and abnormalities in babies

 Toxic ash is produced so landfill is still needed. When waste is burned in an incinerator it does not disappear. A large amount of bottom ash is left behind. This ash still has to be disposed of in landfill sites. In ash form, the toxins and pollutants within are more liable to leach into groundwater then they are in unburned waste

 Incinerators contribute to Climate change when waste is burned in an incinerator, heat is produced which can be used to create electricity. Waste incineration produces more greenhouse gases than any form of electricity generation apart from conventional coal burning

 Incinerators offer very few jobs compared to the recycling industry. Incinerators offer temporary jobs during construction and just a few for maintenance and operation once they are built. Recycling, reuse and repair industries offer many more jobs and often ones which are more suited to local people.

 Noise and traffic impact. Incinerators can be very noisy operations, with the loading and unloading of wastes and ash, noise from the furnace, and the loud drone of  fans. This noise can be a significant nuisance to people living or working nearby. Increased traffic may also be a big headache for local residents. An average may also be a big headache for local residents. An average sized plant handling 200,000 tonnes of rubbish per a year will mean 13,000 lorry loads a year.

 The impact on local roads more road maintenance due to heavy vehicles, and works to provide trucks with access to and from the plant. The proposed sites in Leeds already have local traffic problems particularly at peak times and issues with smells and airborne pollution from traffic.





You can contact us at no2incinerator@gmail.com if you would like more information or visit hppt://no2incinerator.blogspot.com to learn more about our activities.