"Incineration" or that term our politicians so love to use, "Energy From Waste".The website is called DURHAM ENVIRONMENT WATCH or D.E.W. Looks interesting with credible information. It appears that Durham residents are getting fed up with the treatment they receive as well as the lack of understanding or care for the environment from Durham Region politicians (remember the recent greenbelt fiasco?). Once again that same bunch seem to be a 'retrograde council' or 'bastard child of the 905' (Toronto newspaper terms describing Durham Region) where it concerns environmental issues.
We hope those politicians will take a little bit of time to read some of the material on the site instead of following the infomercials put out by the regional consultants and European incinerator owner/operators.
Something I found very interesting, especially since those holier than thou politicians who took the Magical Mystery Tour to Europe are so fond of telling us all how wonderful the European countries are in their waste diversion efforts - getting all the way to 88 or 90% diversion. They fail, however to say that this rate is AFTER they burn most of their municipal waste. They have an even more pitiful diversion rate than Clarington (42% according to Durham Region). Europe-wide their rate is only 33% (before incineration). Does incineration cause lower diversion rates? We've been saying all along that it does. It's the wrong direction to take, and now the European Union seems to agree!
INCINERATION UNDER SCRUTINY IN EUROPE - In February 2007, the European Union redrafted its waste protocol to make diversion a priority. A crucial point for the Members of Parliament was to reduce the amount of landfill and incineration, both of which cause pollution. Members rejected the idea that incineration be regarded as recovery. This should have major ramifications for the incineration industry as Europe-wide, only 33% of waste is diverted by recycling or composting.
Do we really want to go where Europe has been? Why not take a cue from them as they have learned something from having all those incinerators. Those incinerators are polluting just as landfill does, and they must reduce BOTH landfill AND incineration.
Read the articles. You may become enlightened.
Sincere congratulations to the folks who have put up the new D.E.W. information blog site.
ReplyDeletePerhaps now, the general public will get to see the other side of the story; not the slick sales pitch that was paid for with our tax money ($5M) to hire sales agents/consultants to mislead the public.
Perhaps now, we can wade in past the heaps of dung that our elected officials at Durham Region (including un-elected officials like the Regional Chair - a joke we can talk about at another time)are making us sort through as we try to get the very elusive truth about incineration and why these people are pushing so hard for it.
Good information. Gives the other side rather than the pro-motional side only. I tend to give more credibility to medical journals and health experts as well as environmentalists rather than from those who have something to gain by pushing this type of project on a trusting and unsuspecting public. Shame on Durham Region and on Mayor Abernethy for the whitewash job. If we can see the whitewash, why can't they?
ReplyDeleteReading the media stories on the DEW site is very interesting. In the latest one, our Mayor says there is nothing surprising or nothing to worry about in the peer review report.
ReplyDeleteIs the man a dunce? He sees no problems with the way the EA is being done? Did he bother to READ the report? Is he so blinded by those crafty consultants who tell him how wonderful everything is that he can't even see the problems? Or the Region's control over every step of the process?
WAKE UP Mr. Mayor! How about caring about the protection of your constituents instead of kowtowing to Durham Region's Chair and pro-incineration staff?
The region said it would not continue with a project if it was not in the best interests of the residents or if there was a health risk. They deny any health risk because it is to THEIR benefit to do so. They could care less about Clarington, other than a place to stick a polluting, expensive incinerator. And not the best technology available but it will be the most economical.
WAKE UP CLARINGTON!!!