300 march against incinerator plans
HUNDREDS of people marched through a town in protest against plans to build an incinerator near their homes.
An estimated 300 demonstrators, accompanied by samba band Crooked Rhythm, gathered at the Watermark Centre in Ivybridge before heading to the town centre waving placards.
Waste company Viridor wants to build an incinerator and landfill site at New England Quarry, near Lee Mill. The plans are opposed by a number of groups which united to organise Saturday's demonstration.
Frankie Dolan, who founded the website ecoIvy.org, said those against the incinerator favoured alternatives such as investment in recycling, increased kerbside collection, composting, mechanical biological treatment, and anaerobic digestion.
She said the demonstration had a fantastic turnout, at short notice and on an important shopping day before Christmas. "Many had never demonstrated in their lives," she said. "All ages, from little children to pensioners came out today.
"We don't think the incinerator is the right technology for Devon; we don't want it anywhere. We believe there are much better alternatives."
Stephen Mosbacher, of Friends of the Earth, said: "It's an old-fashioned technology, the finances don't stack up, it's bad for our health, it's bad for climate change and it's going to reduce the value of the area.
"I'm concerned for my own health but I also oppose the one planned in Ernesettle. I'm against any incinerator."
The South West Devon Waste Partnership is considering plans by three waste companies – MVV Umwelt, SITA UK and Viridor – to build a £100 million incinerator at one of four sites: New England Quarry, Ernesettle, South Yard and North Yard at Devonport.
The incinerator would handle all remaining domestic rubbish from Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon after recycling had taken place. Viridor says its plan would provide jobs and could produce enough energy to power around 45,000 homes.
Final tenders will be invited late next year, and the incinerator contract will be awarded in 2011.
2 Comments
by Ian, South Brent
Monday, December 14 2009, 4:08PM
“Bloody hypocrites!
90+% incomers in Ivybridge & they don't want waste disposal on their doorsteps?
Go back to sunny London then & none of us would then need to see another eyesore spoiling my home county ! ! !”
by TimV, Pz
Monday, December 14 2009, 1:56PM
“What to do with waste? It's a BIG question. We all contribute to the millions of tons produced every week but once we have placed it in the bin we like to forget about it. Burning waste for power generation makes sense on paper but is not without its own problems of creating more CO2 and other pollutants and understandably no one wants a plant in their back yard. Historically disposal has not been seen as part of the cost of production - cite the clear-up cost of nuclear - and nothing much will change until it is. Somehow manufactures and producers need to reduce waste at source and pay a levy if they don't. Until then it will remain a major headache for those charged with responsibility of disposing of it safely.”