24th February 2006

Sussex councils have been given the go-ahead to adopt a long-term waste plan which includes proposals for an unpopular and hazardous waste incinerator in Newhaven. This means, when the incinerator, is built 183 tonnes of it's toxic ash will DAILY be bound for Wingmoor Farm, Bishops Cleeve.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has rejected calls by Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas, the Gloucestershire Green party and more than 8,000 Sussex residents to hold a public inquiry into the East Sussex Waste Local Plan.

Dr Lucas, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, said she was deeply disappointed: "This decision flies in the face of public opinion, responsible government and good environmental stewardship. By refusing to hold a public inquiry into the proposals the Government has sent a clear signal that it just doesn’t care about the views of those whose lives will be adversely affected by the incinerator."

Philip Booth, a Gloucestershire Green party spokesperson said: "This disastrous incinerator will add to pollution and carbon emissions. Worse it will reduce the incentive to recycle because this incinerator will need to be fed for the next quarter-century - and it looks like Gloucestershire will end up with 183 tonnes of their potentially dangerous toxic ash arriving by lorries daily for 25 years (i). As waste company Onyx’s profits rise the price will be paid by all of us including future generations."

Philip Booth added: "I hope that our own councils will not go down this disastrous route of incinerating waste. It really makes no economic or environmental sense. Sussex Councils will live to regret their decisions."

Notes:

(i) Report: The Health Effects of Waste Incinerators - Both the amount of waste and its potential toxicity are increasing. Available landfill sites are being used up and incineration is being seen increasingly as a solution to the waste problem. This report examines the literature concerning the health effects of incinerators. Report available online:
http://www.ecomed.org.uk/