Sustainable values
- Details
- Written by Beverly Saunders Beverly Saunders
- Category: Sustainable Values Sustainable Values
- Published: 09 April 2013 09 April 2013
Zero Waste advocacy groups are planning a protest and public rally at the Incinerator Industry Conference in Richmond, BC on Wednesday, April 10 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond.
The Canadian Energy From Waste Coalition, a lobby group representing multi-billion dollar incinerator companies such as Covanta and Waste Management Inc. is hosting a meeting to promote waste incineration plans to local governments and waste management professionals. This industry lobby uses false, misleading claims about being compatible with zero waste - to market these costly, polluting and carbon-intensive technologies as local waste and energy solutions.
In reality, waste incinerators, including untested gasification incinerators:
- Threaten public health with dangerous pollutants such as dioxins and mercury
- Are the most carbon-intensive form of energy generation;
- Require billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies in capital and operating costs;
- Create economic barriers for zero waste practices such as recycling and composting;
- Undermine progress towards clean and truly renewable energy systems;
Members of Zero Waste Canada, Zero Waste BC, Zero Waste Vancouver plan to rally and expose these “energy-from-waste” salesmen – while letting conference participants know that lower mainland residents are not willing to pay for these polluting technologies.
While Metro Vancouver is considering the a $470 Million waste incinerator, a new report from the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives illustrates how Zero Waste alternatives could generate over 5000 new jobs by recycling the same waste currently buried and burned in BC.