P Gwyrdd PFI Scam devised by Pro-Incinerator officers

PROSIECT GWYRDD SHORT-LIST
P Gwyrdd is a scam devised by pro-incinerator officers in S-E Wales to pretend to be seeking a “technology neutral” solution to municipal waste.

•  they brought in Partnerships UK as financial consultants – whose remit is promoting PFI. Because PFI has a bad press and was caught in the credit crunch, it has been re-badged as PBFOM.
•  they devised their reference project as a single incinerator, requiring a 25-30 year-long contract and high waste volumes, so the Councils are going slow on recycling (65% by 2025 though other authorities are already reaching or surpassing 70%)
•  they pretend all the incinerator grate-ash can be re-used as aggregate, those elsewhere it's found to be toxic material and less than half is re-used.
• WAG promised them 25% subsidy on the gate fee to the incinerator company. WAG again claims to be technology neutral, but disclosed in the media that energy-recovery from waste is “best” see below
•  WAG claimed it wanted high energy efficiency, 60% or more, using all the waste heat. But their subsidy is promised irrespective of the heat-use, implying their claim is dishonest.
•  The short-list of 4 companies announced by 'scam' Gwyrdd in December contained only large single incinerator projects, with little if any use of heat (the Veolia plan would supply a small fraction for injdustrial purposes to Solutia).

More details are in the briefing by R Walters member of Abergavenny & Crickhowell FOE (Friends of the Earth) [link]

When applied to incinerators, "energy from waste" is a dangerous euphemism. Far from being a sensible, environmentally friendly solution to the enormous amount of waste created in Wales, incineration is a nasty quick fix to deal with our ever-growing waste mountain.
The news that a 400m waste plant planned for Wales Jan 04 2011 to build one of the UK’s largest waste incineration plants on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil is shocking.
This is an Energy from waste CON.
WAG under pressure to reduce landfill are opting for incineration of waste under the pretext that they can make electricity from the process! We know the electricity from one of these large incinerators is pretty small, compared with normal power stations (several 100MW up to Aberthaw’s 1450MW) and produces toxic ash and air pollution. They set no requirement on energy efficiency, despite Welsh strategy on 60% minimum.
Claims that significant energy could generated from waste are wrong - even Covanta's huge Merthyr proposal would generate a tiny 60MW compared with Aberthaw's 1450 MW.
WAGs and Cardiff Councils are Re-branding incineration as a means of recovery rather than waste disposal to create the impression that burning our rubbish is environmentally-friendly, which it clearly is not.

Why Wales says NO to incineration and Veolia and Covanta

As the Prosiect 'Gwyrdd'/Incinerator team begin detailed diaglogue with the 4 big incinerator companies to turn A Resource into A Problem  I'd like to point out a few problems with the chosen companies.
Veolia is involved in aiding and abetting on-going war crimes. It is also facilitating, exacerbating, aiding and abetting Israel’s breach of the Hague Regulations. Under European Community regulations a company can be excluded from bidding for a public contract, or being awarded one, on the grounds of grave misconduct.
The British version of the European Directive is the Public Contract Regulations (2006) [section 23(4)(e)].
Veolia is Still doing Israel’s Dirty Work Veolia’s Tovlan landfill in the Jordan Valley

Veolia operates a landfill site in illegally occupied territory.  TMM, another subsidiary of Veolia Environnement, owns and operates the Tovlan landfill site in the occupied West Bank. Refuse from the illegal settlements is dumped in this site. At the same time, many Palestinian villages are denied refuse collection facilities by Israel leaving their inhabitants with no option but to dump their rubbish in the surrounding vicinity, leaving a profoundly negative impact on the environment.


Whilst the company’s involvement in the East Jerusalem tram line project has gained world wide infamy, their operations in the Jordan Valley have as yet not got them into as much trouble. However, their very direct support of the settlement infrastructure in one of the most vulnerable areas of Palestine prove that they are more than willing to profit from Israel’s brutal occupation as long as they can get away with it.
Who Profits from the Occupation?
A fortnight of action is coming up against Veolia

Swansea In June 2010 the council passed a motion to exclude Veolia from all future contracts: “This Council therefore calls on the Leader & Chief Executive not to sign or allow to be signed any new contracts or renewal of any existing contracts with Veolia or any other company in breach of international law, so long as to do so would not be in breach of any relevant legislation.” Veolia: Swansea City Council passes historic resolution to bar future contracts with Veolia July 15 2010.

Covanta
Huw Lewis, urged the Assembly Government not to attempt to attract jobs “at any costs”. we agree More jobs would be created by recycling more than by incineration..
Covanta - A FIRM which plans to build a giant waste incinerator in Wales has violated employment laws in America, a US government department has ruled. Wales on line reported that Merthyr Labour AM Huw Lewis said: “Frankly, I find it a little surprising that the Assembly Government has been courting a company that has a string of environmental breaches and seems to also engage in union-bashing. We desperately need quality jobs in Wales – and in Merthyr Tydfil in particular – but not jobs at any cost. I have tabled a Freedom of Information request to establish just how much dialogue has taken place between Government and Covanta before these incinerator proposals were tabled, I will be interested to see if anybody thought to ask about the importance of a unionised workforce.”

“It would be unfair to come to any final decision about these proposals until I am in possession of all the facts, but let’s say that this is already the third black mark against the Covanta waste incinerator. First, there was no prior warning to local people that this development was being actively pursued by elements of Government. Secondly, the poor environmental record of Covanta Energy has rightly got local people worried and finally the news about disregarding workers’ rights at American waste plants is also unacceptable.”
Wales TUC General Secretary Martin Mansfield said: “Welsh trade unionists are very concerned to hear from our colleagues in the Utility Workers Union of America about the anti-union approach taken by Covanta in the US.
Incinerator will 'finish Valleys', expert warns‎ WalesOnline - Chris Cousens - american energy giant Covanta has submitted an application for a 750000 tonne-a-year waste ...
Covanta sued again for dioxin pollution in the US
More info - http://southwaleswin.com/

Jane Davidson Incinerator legacy

Wales on line interviewed Jane Davidson   "One of her greatest pleasures, it appears, is that environmental groups rated her highly." WRONG ....Jane Davidson is so wrong - environmental groups don't rate her highly, she is misinterpreting the schmoozing and environmental activists are furious with her. Under pressure to reduce landfill her legacy is incineration -a nasty quick fix to deal with our ever-growing waste mountain and she is makng £millions available for Project 'Gwrydd' to build Incinerators that also produce CO2 under the pretext that they can make electricity from the process! We know the electricity from one of these large incinerators is pretty small, compared with normal power stations (several 100MW up to Aberthaw’s 1450MW) and produces toxic ash and air pollution. Jane Davidson isn't even enforcing a requirement on energy efficiency, despite the Welsh strategy on 60% minimum.Putting off 70% recycling till 2025 means going slow on recycling, when some countries (Falmand/Berlgium, also San Fransico) and municipalities have already reached this level. If you had the courage to step out of the office and talk to some activists Jane - for example Jane Davisdon refused to speak to the Cardiff Against the Incinerator Group.

Cardiff Waste Strategy Burn Pollute Make CO2

Politics of Waste
2 urgent matters- Cardiff council is debating Cardiff's Waste Strategy tomorrow while distributing Cardiff Council Capital Times - propaganda misinformation paper Capital times (Feb edition)
The waste strategy is to build super dirty smelly incinerators without regard to the cost and depending on WAG subsidy and not consider the other options.
Executive Business Meeting Committee  3 County Hall 13/01/2011 Start: 02:00 PM

Meanwhile Cardiff Council are currently sending out the Capital times (Feb edition)delivered to me yesterday with the message Turning a problem into a resource - that is Re-branding incineration as a means of recovery rather than waste disposal creates the impression that burning our rubbish is environmentally-friendly, which it clearly is not.
Other authorities had already achieved a lot higher recycling than Cardiff - South Oxfordshire had doubled recycling to 73%, and San Francisco which recycled 77% was aiming for 100% by 2020 and had rejected incineration on cost grounds  Basically Cardiff council and the Welsh Assembly government is saying that the Welsh are too feckless to recycle properly - the triumph of despair over hope.
The council seems to be more interested in publishing subjective and misleading information than in properly informing people about what’s happening. Local authorities should ensure that publicity relating to their own policies and proposals are not designed to be (or are not likely to be interpreted as) aimed at influencing the public’s opinions about the policies of the authority according to government guidelines.

From Cardiff Councils free newspaper Feb 2011 edition providing free misinformation to every home in Cardiff.Front page.."Tackling the problem of waste"
"Cardiff is preparing to move to a greener future....council looking to even more sustainable whilst remaining affordable, in its push to reduce the city carbon footprint and drive recycling rates higher...."Page 9 Turning a problem into a resource
"Four companies have been shortlisted to progress to the stage in the process to find
a solution for waste that cannot be recycled or composted. Prosiect Gwrydd will deliver a contract to provide treatment facilities for residual waste - what is left once recycling and composting have been maximised (lie) - five councils including Cardiff in South Wales, including Cardiff in South Wales . Cllr Mark Stephens chair of the project's joint committee said "all partners share the aspiration of the Towards Zero waste strategy published by WAG so we have ensured the bids going forward are consistent with those principles. (lie) The companies that have been invited to submit detailed solutions are
1. Coventa Energy proposes incinerator at Brig y Cwm, Merthyr Tydfil
2. Veolia ES Aurora 3.  Viridor Waste Management Trident Park, Cardiff.
4.. Waste Recycling Group Traston Rd, Newport.
The WAG has set a 70% target for recycling and composting and the five partner councils
- Cardiff, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and The Vale of Glamorgan have developed strategies aimed at a 65% combined target with at least a further 5% being recovered through the residual waste treatment process. Cllr Stephens added "The priority for each partner authority is to recycle and compost as much waste as possible. We acknowledge and are grateful for the financial assistance provided by the WAG which allows us to develop the infrastructure and capacity (build dirty incinerators) to meet these challenging targets."
Cardiff council should put out real information and not simply propaganda on behalf of the council.
Cardiff Waste Strategy
The turgid Cardiff Council Waste Strategy document is on this page
This offers only one solution. CO2 making Incineration dressed up as 'energy from waste'. All along we have described Project Gwrydd as project incineration while they claimed to be technology neutral and they come up with incinerator or incinerator or incinerator or incinerator
Some sources of energy are not renewable or sustainable. Energy from Waste is bound to be raised in this debate Incineration of waste are not a renewable energy form NOR IS IT GREEN
When applied to incinerators, "energy from waste" is a dangerous euphemism. Far from being a sensible, environmentally friendly solution to the enormous amount of waste created in Wales, incineration is a nasty quick fix to deal with our ever-growing waste mountain
The news that a 400m waste plant planned for Wales Jan 04 2011 to build one of the UK’s largest waste incineration plants on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil is shocking.
This is an Energy from waste CON WAG under pressure to reduce landfill are opting for incineration of waste under the pretext that they can make electricity from the process! We know the electricity from one of these large incinerators is pretty small, compared with normal power stations (several 100MW up to Aberthaw’s 1450MW) and produces toxic ash and air pollution. They set no requirement on energy efficiency, despite Welsh strategy on 60% minimum.
Claims that significant energy could generated from waste are wrong - even Covanta's huge Merthyr proposal would generate a tiny 60MW compared with Aberthaw's 1450 MW.
WAGs and Cardiff Councils are Re-branding incineration as a means of recovery rather than waste disposal to create the impression that burning our rubbish is environmentally-friendly, which it clearly is not. Cardiff council and WAW seem to be more interested in publishing subjective and misleading information than in properly informing people about what’s happening. The People of Wales deserve to be told the truth.
Incinerators produce CO2 
Incineration also involves the release of high levels of CO2, the main climate warming gas. Accounting for recovered energy, incineration is accompanied by twice or more the CO2 per unit of power than the same energy (as electricity or combined heat-and-power) produced from fossil fuel. From the start (2015) Viridor’s incinerator would be worse in fossil CO2 emissions than the worst coal-fired plant and nearly 4 times worse than the UK average generation. Full and proper consideration to climate change is a requirement within the context of the planning process though overlooked it seems. CO2 and incineration The Dirty Truth
The Welsh Assembly and WLGA must NOT promote incineration.
Energy from waste = a waste of energy. Plastics and paper are the main source of calorific value in an incinerator. Burning plastics, which are oil based, is effectively burning fossil fuels – the main factor behind global warming. Paper is produced from wood by an energy intensive process. Burning it wastes energy and resources as well as generating pollution. This information has been available for over a decade
Other countries have achieved much higher recycling rates 70% and higher within a few years so there is no excuse to build incinerators. Putting off 70% recycling till 2025 means going slow on recycling, when some countries (Falmand/Berlgium) and municipalities have already reached this level
More jobs will be created from better recycling as this new report shows.
We will never achieve 'Zero Waste' if Jane Davidson,and our AM'sand Cllrs allow companies to construct massive pollution making facilities like the incinerators above.
Why is the Welsh Assembly Government giving incineration and Prosiect Gwyrdd a subsidy of £9 million/yr which they propose to extend through out Wales.
Meanwhile the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA refuse to go for 'high recycling' pre-2020 and are trying to lock us into expensive incinerator)
Prosiect Gwyrdd Incinerator was not as they claimed to be "technology neutral" with their 4 chosen ones. Incinerator or incinerator or incinerator or incinerator. Prosiect 'Gwyrdd' = Project Incinerator
Jane Davidsons Phoney consumer group promoting incineration that is Waste Awareness Misinformation Wales costing us £1 million/yr. A deputation from FOE met with WAW last week and established that WAW is wholly funded and steered by WAG and sees its role as delivering WAG's plans - which are
a) to delay the 70% recycling till 2025 even though many countries and regions are already achieving or approaching this level,
b) to burn waste rather than produce biogas for domestic use, and
c) to subsidise incineration instead of allowing MBT at half the cost, with use of products in land reclamation and enhancing forestry/coppicing.
The deputation outlined FoE Cymru's critique of WAG's change in waste policy from minimising incineration and landfill to the present one of promoting and subsiding incineration over landfill. This critique and the real 'zero waste' policy were commissioned from PIC consultants. They pointed out that such an alternative that maximises recyclables and reclaims compostables through MBT (mechanical and bio-techniques) has been adopted in Ireland, where an international, team showed it to be sound. In comparison, WAG's policy is unsound, using poor computer software to get very questionable pro-incinerator results. WAG's officials (Andy Rees & co) must know that as they have failed to defend their results against FOE's thorough and convincing critique
WAW Waste Awareness Misinformation Wales said that they are an arm of WAG and that their 'survey' (Wales would like to burn not bury waste) was at the behest of Andy Rees, Jasper Roberts and co of WAG. They told them that not only was the survey loaded but the results falsified since, in fact people in the focus groups they had expressed strong worries about pollution of the air from burning!
Incinerators projects have a long term commitment of maybe 25 years. Landfill Tax is paid on bottom ash from incinerators. For every five tonnes of waste combusted, around one tonne of ash is produced. A government might well increase this tax in the future. In Ireland Minister for the Environment John Gormley's  plan to introduce a levy on waste going to incineration
The Irish government is proposing an incineration tax on the basis that incinerators are worse for the environment and resources than MBT - mechanical and biological treatments - which return bio-material to land or, if too contaminated, send to landfill. Yet the Welsh government subsidises incinerators and aims to ban MBT


ps
An updated Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity is currently going through Parliament. It states: “Local authorities should ensure that publicity relating to their own policies and proposals are not designed to be (or are not likely to be interpreted as) aimed at influencing the public’s opinions about the policies of the authority. The proposed new Code now contains specific guidance on the frequency, content and appearance of local authority newspapers or magazines. It also proposes to prohibit the use of lobbyists where the expenditure is intended to influence local people on political issues.
 Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity...
Summary. The Government is consulting on a new Code of Recommended Practice ...
www.communities.gov.uk/.../localgovernment/publicitycodeconsult2010

Merthyr Waste Plant nasty quick fix

When applied to incinerators, "energy from waste" is a dangerous euphemism. Far from being a sensible, environmentally friendly solution to the enormous amount of waste created in Wales, incineration is a nasty
quick fix to deal with our ever-growing waste mountain
The news that a 400m waste plant planned for Wales Jan 04 2011 to build one of the UK’s largest waste incineration plants on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil is shocking.
This is an Energy from waste CON  WAG under pressure to reduce landfill are opting for incineration of waste under the pretext that they can make electricity from the process! We know the electricity from one of these large incinerators is pretty small, compared with normal power stations (several 100MW up to Aberthaw’s 1450MW) and produces toxic ash and air pollution. They set no requirement on energy efficiency, despite Welsh strategy on 60% minimum. The Welsh Assembly must NOT promote incineration.

Energy from waste = a waste of energy. Plastics and paper are the main source of calorific value in an incinerator. Burning plastics, which are oil based, is effectively burning fossil fuels – the main factor behind global warming. Paper is produced from wood by an energy intensive process. Burning it
wastes energy and resources as well as generating pollution. This information has been available for over a decade.

What a disaster for the people of Merthyr and in fact the whole of Wales as this monster Incinerator will demand rubbish from all corners of the UK to feed its voracious appetite. Other countries have achieved much higher recycling rates 70% and higher within a few years so there is no excuse to build incinerators. Putting off 70% recycling till 2025 means going slow on recycling, when some countries (Falmand/Berlgium) and municipalities have already reached this level

More jobs will be created from better recycling as a new report shows .  Coventa have a lousy record
- Covanta was found guilty of violating employment laws in the US and has been fined hundreds of thousands of pounds after exceeding emission levels of carcinogenic chemicals from its American incinerators.

We will never achieve 'Zero Waste' if Jane Davidson, our AM's allow companies to construct massive pollution making facilities like this. But still the Welsh Assembly spends millions promoting incineration using
quangos they set up for the purpose like Waste Awareness Wales.
Watch Energy from Waste Myth
and Come to the Caerphilly Council Chamber, Penalta House, Tredomen, Ystrad Mynach on Wednesday 19th January 201, 5.0pm till 8.0pm to hear a lecture by Dr. D. van Steenis on the health issues related to "Breathable Particle Emissions" from EfW Incinerators........don't miss it for your children's sake.

Dr. Dick Van Steenis Caerphilly talk on danger from Incinerators

Dr. Dick Van Steenis has agreed to give a talk on nano-particle emissions from waste incinerators to members of the public and others…..venue Caerphilly Council Chamber, Tredomen, Ystrad Mynach, Wednesday 19th January, 5.0pm till 8.0pm……..everyone welcome to attend.


Dr. Dick van Steenis, a retired GP and well known campaigner on the dangers to human health from the emissions of EFW Waste Incinerators has agreed to give a presentation to members of the public and others on the serious hazards to human health posed by the emission of "nano-particles" which are freely emitted by Electric from Waste (EFW) Incinerators such as the type being proposed to be installed and used by Caerphilly County Borough Council in their partnership arrangement with Project Gwyrdd INCINERATOR for the disposal of residual waste.
The presentation followed by questions and answers has been arranged for Wednesday the 19th January 2011 in the Council Chamber at Tredomen from 5.0pm until 8.0pm.
NOTE
Statements by the Health Protection Agency to Michael Ryan, Environment Agency and in Hansard 30 November 2009 by the Dept. of Health all agree NO RESEARCH has been carried out around incinerators in particular comparing health data and PM2.5 & PM1 data upwind with downwind. The HPA have issued false unsubstantiated claims which are simply fairy stories concocted by incinerator company lobbyists Enviros & others not based on any measurements. The Environment Agency hence authorise incinerator emissions as high as 30ug/m3 namely 120 times that of 2 incinerators in Finland & 2 in Sweden. The EA wrote 2010 that the UK bag filters allow 90% of PM1s and 35% of PM2.5s through, hence the needless deaths & illnesses on a grand scale.

Mapping by electoral ward of NHS PCT & ONS data proves new & old UK incinerators kill & maim very large numbers. Measurements in Mexico City & Sweden prove this. Emissions in Sweden revealed the incinerator PM2.5s comprised 33% of total, well over double traffic namely 300 times higher
than claimed by a UK substandard technology application. The UK incinerators areillegal under the EC November 2008 directive. The HPA are telling lies and should be prosecuted.