PROJECT GWixDD ? What a Waste say Cardiff Friends of the earth?

Give us a zero wate strategy cardiff!!

PROJECT GWixDD ? What a Waste?

Despite the apparent universal coverage of the city's "Green Bag" scheme,
the recent opening of some new " Bring Sites",and and a fully-opperational
Mechanical Recycling Facility [MRF], Cardiff is still only managing to
recycle 27% of its household waste. Though this figure is in line with EU
Landfill Dirrective targets, the figure required by 2009-10 is 40% ?

The recently-reported practice of transporting recycled material long
distances for processing in the Third World is in NO waygood for the
environment.

Whilst the amount of Cardiff's waste continues to grow at about 5% per
annum, available landfill capacity at Lamby Way will last barely a year.
Even if a suitable replacement landfill site was available, the Council
cannot afford to wait 5 years in order to follow the necessary planning
procedure, [which is a legal requirement], in order to commence

operations. Given this difficult situation, [which somebody at the Council
must have seen coming a long time ago], its hardly surprising that other
methods are being considered. Building a massive incinerator in Cardiff
Bay, [otherwise known as Project Gwyrdd], is one way to deal with the
Residual Solid Waste [RSW] from half a dozen Local Authorities in SE Wales

This approach is unacceptable to Cardiff Friends of the Earth on the
grounds of,

• Excessive cost;
• Reducing the need to maximise the recycling of finite,valuable resources.
• Health risks from pollution and increased traffic.
• . The increased need for transport.
• Sheer waste of finite resources.
  

An alternative method would be to adopt a " Zero Waste" strategy, thereby
concentrating local authoritie's limited resources on maximising waste
reduction and re-use projects, in order to minimise the amount of RSW
requiring landfill.

Incinerator enigma! letter to the echo

Dear Editor Incinerator Puzzle

As the Lib-Dems centrally oppose incineration, I was puzzled why Cardiff's Lib-Dems are driving towards an incinerator in Cardiff Bay. But the record of their chief officer explains a lot.I see Phil Sherratt was with Greater Manchester Waste where he started kerbside collections, but costly wheelie bins too. He also promoted the Bolton incinerator with 128,000 tonnes design capacity for 80,000 tonnes of local arisings, which has never operated to the design capacity. Moving to Mercia Waste Management he headed up their team which argued the Kidderminster incinerator was essential. The incinerator Inquiry was humiliating (for MMW) when the Inspector refused their appeal in spite of MWM having a PPC permit and a long term contract - and left MWM with no 'plan B'.

So his record in Cardiff is not so different - slow and poor on recycling, proposed to make refuse-drived fuel for cement kilns, filled up Lamby Way tip with commercial refuse and delayed planning for a replacement, then left Councillors with the one option - ie. Viridor's incinerator at 400 000 tonnes capacity, far above the non-recyclable waste total of under 100 000 tonnes per year.

Max WallisSE Wales FOE group on waste