Prosiect Gwyrdd Greenwash!

to Cardiff Environmental Scrutiny Cttee.

* Prosiect Gwyrdd was portrayed to the Councils as a long-term
solution to residual waste, with a claim of it being "green". But

it's really an inflexible and costly incinerator, going for burning
rather than maximal recycling and returning bio-material to land.

* Cardiff's failure to plan new landfill capacity (despite 5-25% of
waste tonnages emerge as incinerator ash that requires landfill)
means that Cardiff is facing high transport costs from 2009.

* while we hope the collection of food waste will help, we are
concerned at the predicted (para.6) £6 million per year penalties
from 2013 for failing to meet the target for cutting biodegradable
material sent to landfill.  MBT systems that could remedy this have
been ignored.

* Prosiect Gwyrdd goes for minimising waste to landfill, which
contradicts current Waste strategy of minimising incineration and
landfill.  It has been held up by WAG since May as incompatible with
Wales's probable amended waste strategy for high (at least 70%)
recycling and composting.

* modular MBT systems that give increasing separation of recyclables
and of residues to be treated and sent to land are being introduced
in England.  Non-food land is needed, as derelict land reclamation
and forestry, but neither Prosiect Gwyrdd nor the SE Regional
Plan/Hyder assessed this.

* financing Prosiect Gwyrdd is problematic, as PFI is ruled out and
private capital is caught by the credit crunch.  The incinerator
'solution' is a mirage, receding well beyond 2013 and requiring
landfill of ash that is increasingly classed as hazardous.

Councillrs need to get moving on 'plan B' - high recycling
and composting plus MBT trials towards meeting the 2013 targets.