Currently there are 3 large waste incineration plants in Scotland, with proposals for a further 16. Collectively they would burn upwards of 2 million tonnes of waste each year. This will undermine recycling, add to global warming, destroy resources and pollute the air, land and water.
Incineration recovers only a tenth of the energy used to make the products in our rubbish. It also wastes money, as it is the most expensive form of waste treatment by far.
Additionally, there are proposals for 5 very large biomass-powered generators. These would burn around 5 million tonnes of fuel annually, consisting mostly of imported virgin timber. As with waste incineration, this will produce large quantities of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
With these concerns in mind, we call on the Scottish Government to ban waste incineration and large-scale biomass burning.
For further background information, please click here -
http://www.gainscotland.org.uk/petition_background.shtmlWe the undersigned support the petition by Green Alternatives to Incineration in Scotland, calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to (a) immediately ban the construction of new waste incinerators and large biomass burners, and shut all existing plants within 5 years; (b) improve the monitoring of emissions from existing waste incinerators; and (c) accelerate Scotlands drive to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
