London Indymedia

Slough Anti-Incinerator Network Branch Out!

Stu. | 03.09.2004 16:11 | London

Grundon Waste Management Ltd, who are planning to build two huge waste incinerators at Colnbrook near Hillingdon, are actively seeking long term waste contracts from local authorities. The largest and perhaps most important of these is a contract from the West London Waste Authority (WLWA) for at least 100,000 tonnes of waste per year. A report commisioned by the WLWA suggests that Grundon need these contracts to achieve the finance for their project. If the proposal goes ahead there will be huge, long term health effects for the whole of West London (and a much larger area) including cancers, deart disease, respiratory problems and reproductive/foetal problems.

To combat this danger Slough Anti-Incinerator Network (SAIN) have branched out into West London. Recently, well-attended public meetings held in Hounslow and Hillingdon have led to the formation of new anti-incinerator groups affiliated to SAIN. These groups have pledged to fight the signing of any waste contracts with Grundon and the incinerator project as a whole. In addition to this, the London Federation of Green Parties have recently voted unanimously to affiliate to SAIN and campaign against this disastrous plan. West London Friends of the Earth are also actively involved in this campaign and will be in consultation with the WLWA on 13th September, before the WLWA's next meeting in early October. SAIN welcome these developments and encourage everyone to get involved in whatever way they can. (Please contact SAIN for details)

Two upcoming public meetings are planned for September, in Ealing and Harrow. The first of these will take place at the Ealing Friends Meeting House, Woodville Road, 7.30pm on Thursday 16th September and the second will be at Northolt Road Hall, Northolt Road, Harrow, 7.30pm on Thursday 23rd September. (Please contact SAIN for more details or to help with publicity etc)

Meanwhile SAIN are still active in Slough. Since the victory achieved in ousting the Labour Slough Borough Council in June, SAIN have been pressing for the council to investigate the potential for revoking the planning consent issued to Grundon. We are pleased to say that Slough Borough Council have engaged legal advice to achieve this end and SAIN will continue to follow and aid this process.

For more details or to join the fight please contact SAIN at  mail4.sain@virgin.net or alternatively please ring SAIN on 01628 662774. For more in depth information and updates please see the campaign website at www.sainslough.co.uk.

Background notes:

Slough Borough Council issued planning consent in June 2000 for Grundon Waste Management Ltd to build two new waste incinerators at their site in Colnbrook near Hillingdon. The first would be a 440,000 tonne per year municipal waste incinerator (the second largest in Europe) and the second would be clincal waste incinerator, burning 17,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and radioactive clinical, military and GMO waste. The Environment Agency issued a license to operate in 2003.

25 local GP's spoke out against this plan early in 2004, and Slough Anti-Incinerator Network (SAIN) formed to fight the proposal. The major concerns about this plan are health related as studies show links between incinerators and huge increases in cancers, heart disease, respiritory problems and foetal/reproductive problems. The claim from the industry that new incinerators are safe is based entirely upon guesswork as no long term studies have yet been carried out on these plants. The population is essentially being used as an experiment. Environmental concerns are also paramount as incineration releases climate changing gas as well as detracting from globally necessary efforts at waste minimisation and recycling.

Stu.
- e-mail: mail4.sain at virgin.net
- Homepage: http://www.sainslough.co.uk

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

London Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

London IMC

Desktop

About | Contact
Mission Statement
Editorial Guidelines
Publish | Help

Search :