I was having a casual breakfast with a couple friends on Monday morning when all of a sudden my phone started ringing off the hook.

It was an activist from the Fraser Valley contacting me to tell me they had just heard that Terry Lake, the BC Minister of the Environment, had approved the Metro Vancouver Waste Management plan which includes waste incineration.

This wasn't really a big surprise given that Terry Lake openly supported the highly controversial hazardous waste incinerator in his own riding in Kamloops. Luckily that proposal was abandoned due to overwhelming public opposition along with the proposed hazardous waste incinerator in Christina Lake, BC.

We were proud to support local activists in both of those fights and now that Lake has rubber stamped the Metro Vancouver proposal we are ramping up to oppose yet another ill-advised plan for waste incineration.

After breakfast I quickly put together a press release expressing our concerns about Terry Lake's short-sighted decision and headed out to the press conference that Metro Vancouver representatives had scheduled. We ended up becoming the alternative press conference, telling the other side of the story. What we have been telling the media is simple: this is just the beginning of the fight over burning garbage.

Metro Vancouver will issue a request for proposals at which point those that support incineration will have to try to make their case to communities about why they would like to burn garbage in their backyards. That is no small task and we feel confident that no matter where this monstrosity is proposed we will be able to defeat the proposal.

Folks in the Fraser Valley are strongly opposed to waste incineration because of their unique air shed that acts as a funnel and traps pollution in their region. Communities across the Lower Mainland have already voiced opposition to an incinerator and many people are getting ready to fight a proposal if one is suggested in their area.

Some folks in Gold River have been calling for the construction of an incinerator in their former mill town on the west side of Vancouver Island. This is the classic environmental justice issue where folks desperate for jobs are asked to deal with projects that nobody really wants in their back yard. Most people on the Island probably haven't heard that Metro Vancouver is considering barging 500,000 tonnes of its garbage every year to be burned, but I bet that once they do people won't be too happy about it.

No matter where they decide to try to build this thing, we will be ready to fight it.

There are many reasons to be concerned about this plan to burn garbage. And there are many better alternatives for dealing with our garbage problem. You can read all about them at ZeroWasteBC.org

One the most dangerous things about burning garbage is the release of toxins into our atmosphere. The organization Prevent Cancer Now has organized a nation-wide call to oppose waste incineration because of these concerns.

In terms of climate change, waste incineration is also a big step in the wrong direction. Burning plastics for energy is actually worse than most other fossils fuels, it's a low-quality, inefficient fuel source. Waste incinerators burning mostly plastics emit more carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour than a coal fired power plant. This would be a big step backwards for us here in BC.

So this is where you come in. We have relaunched our letter writing tool on our website. Go check it out and send a letter to Metro Vancouver directors expressing your opposition.

Urge them to adopt more aggressive waste diversion targets and to make that their priority. Talk to your friends and neighbours and urge them to send in their comments as well.

Stay tuned, as this campaign progresses we will keep you informed about what is being proposed and what you can do to help.

Ben West | Healthy Communities Campaigner
Wilderness Committee