Wilderness Committee Opposes Metro Vancouver's Waste Incineration Plan
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Speaking as a delegate to the Waste Management Committee of Metro Vancouver last Friday, Wilderness Committee campaigner Ben West raised concerns about the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that would be caused by the use of “Waste to Energy” garbage incineration as recommended in the Waste Management Committee's proposed Waste Management Plan.
“If Metro Vancouver goes ahead with this plan, garbage incineration plants in the region’s neighbourhoods will be the biggest source of climate changing pollution in the Lower Mainland, creating a total of approximately 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year,” said West.
The debate around waste management options has largely focused on incineration versus landfill. West points out the holes in this argument.
“Garbage incineration creates new emissions both from burning the organic material as well as additional new emissions from burning plastics and other fossil fuel-based products. The GHG emissions from landfill sites are primarily made up of decomposing organic material, releasing climate changing methane over time,” said West.
“However, improved composting could almost eliminate GHG emissions from landfills. That's why the Wilderness Committee is calling for a region-wide program to collect kitchen waste organics for composting, the same way recylables are picked up now. That would go a long way to reducing our garbage overall and our GHG emissions too," said West.
“Unfortunately the Waste Management Committee has passed a plan to the Metro board that is based on burning garbage, claiming it will somehow reduce the pollution that causes climate change. This is completely unacceptable,” said West.
“The solution to landfill emissions is to ban kitchen waste and other organic materials from landfills, not to allow incineration. Waste incinerators release more emissions per megawatt hour than a coal-fired power plant and that is not the kind of new energy source we need here in BC,” said West.
The Wilderness Committee is working in cooperation with other groups and individuals to oppose garbage incineration. The Metro Vancouver board will vote on whether or not to adopt the regional Waste Management Plan to burn garbage in neighborhood incinerators on April 9th.
“With the binding commitments to reduce climate changing pollution made by Metro Vancouver and the BC government there is just no way Metro should be approving these new neighbourhood garbage incinerators. They should be getting serious about region-wide composting instead,” said West. -30-
For more information please contact:
Ben West, Wilderness Committee, Healthy Communities Campaigner 604-710-5340
The debate around waste management options has largely focused on incineration versus landfill. West points out the holes in this argument.
“Garbage incineration creates new emissions both from burning the organic material as well as additional new emissions from burning plastics and other fossil fuel-based products. The GHG emissions from landfill sites are primarily made up of decomposing organic material, releasing climate changing methane over time,” said West.
“However, improved composting could almost eliminate GHG emissions from landfills. That's why the Wilderness Committee is calling for a region-wide program to collect kitchen waste organics for composting, the same way recylables are picked up now. That would go a long way to reducing our garbage overall and our GHG emissions too," said West.
“Unfortunately the Waste Management Committee has passed a plan to the Metro board that is based on burning garbage, claiming it will somehow reduce the pollution that causes climate change. This is completely unacceptable,” said West.
“The solution to landfill emissions is to ban kitchen waste and other organic materials from landfills, not to allow incineration. Waste incinerators release more emissions per megawatt hour than a coal-fired power plant and that is not the kind of new energy source we need here in BC,” said West.
The Wilderness Committee is working in cooperation with other groups and individuals to oppose garbage incineration. The Metro Vancouver board will vote on whether or not to adopt the regional Waste Management Plan to burn garbage in neighborhood incinerators on April 9th.
“With the binding commitments to reduce climate changing pollution made by Metro Vancouver and the BC government there is just no way Metro should be approving these new neighbourhood garbage incinerators. They should be getting serious about region-wide composting instead,” said West. -30-
For more information please contact:
Ben West, Wilderness Committee, Healthy Communities Campaigner 604-710-5340