I object to plans for a massive waste incinerator built in the heart of Cardiff, burning rubbish from all over South Wales. Viridor waste management have submitted plans to Cardiff council's planning department (ref: 08/2616) for a hugely over-sized incinerator. We oppose this scheme which would hit Cardiff residents with air-polluting emissions, increased traffic and congestion and act as a disincentive to recycling. Objections should be sent to: FAO: Andrew Bates Development Control [email protected] tel 02920 871704 Strategic Planning & Environment City Hall Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3ND The proposed incinerator is designed to process 350,000 tonnes of residual waste per year and to be built in Trident Park, Cardiff Bay. However, with the Welsh Assembly Government%u2019s commitment to achieve 70% recycling by 2020 and Viridor's suggested 25 year contract, the incinerator is more than three times larger than the waste predicted for all five surrounding local authority areas. Viridor have confirmed that transporting this amount of waste across South East Wales would result in 256 large waste lorries arriving in Cardiff every day. This represents a 3% increase in traffic to add to the congestion and pollution on Cardiff's roads. Incineration is not an efficient way of producing energy from waste and releases large amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. In addition, during some operating conditions, or in case of an accident, emissions are not regulated and harmful dioxins may be released into the air. One third of the mass burnt remains as ash which still needs to be managed. Around 17,000 tonnes a year of this would be toxic fly-ash which would have to be transported to a special hazardous waste site for disposal. These factors combine to make incineration worse for the environment than landfill. There are cleaner, greener technologies %u2013 such as Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) %u2013 that can work as smaller, flexible units, close to where waste is produced, and will recover more recyclable material whilst producing less harmful waste. Hauling huge amounts of rubbish around the country to be burnt is not a sensible, or sustainable, waste solution. This incinerator is hugely over-sized, would release harmful emissions and increase congestion and pollution. Cardiff residents urgently need to voice their opposition now by contacting the planning department with their concerns. There are truly sustainable solutions available if we embrace new technologies that maximise recycling and can adapt to the changing waste streams of the future. But, if this proposal goes ahead, Cardiff could become the waste capital of Wales. *1. On the site of the former Nippon Electric Glass (NEG) site, between Ocean Way and the docks: http://www.viridor-consultation.co.uk/index.phpcontentId=90 *2. The five local authorities (Cardiff, Newport, Vale of Glamorgan, Caerphilly and Monmoutshire) currently produce 370,000 tonnes of municipal waste per year. At 70% recycling this would be reduced to 111,000 tonnes. *3. 5% by weight of waste incinerated *4. Rabl, A., J. V. Spadaro, et al. (2008). "Environmental Impacts and Costs of Solid Waste: A Comparison of Landfill and Incineration." Waste Management & Research in press. (Rabl, Spadaro et al. 2008)