Monster Incinerator
Update and Slough Meeting, April 04
|
Waste |
Residents Discover Unholy Alliance Between Grundon and Slough Council
 |
|
Grundon incinerator |
Note. This was written in April 04. For latest situation see campaign and latest news.
Slough Council has agreed to a monster incinerator 130 feet high with a chimney 240 feet high, towering over the Green Belt. Now, finally, the folk of Slough and Langley have realised what this could mean. See Press Release below.
Incinerator Threatens West London
The waste management company Grundon is planning to build an incinerator that would burn 440,000 tonnes of waste every year. The site is at Colnebrook, near to Heathrow and adjacent to an existing clinical waste incinerator. The six Boroughs of the West London Waste Authority (Note 1) meet on 7th April to discuss the possibility of signing a waste contract to burn West London's waste. To finance construction Grundon needs to be guaranteed 20 year waste contracts. (Note 2)
At a meeting behind closed doors in Ealing Town Hall on 23rd February, Grundon's representatives tried to soothe councillors' concerns over health implications. They claimed there was no opposition to the incinerator in the immediate area around the site. Nothing could be further from the truth. On 31st March 2004 hundreds of alarmed local residents of Langley, Colnbrook and Slough turned out to hear experts and campaigners speak at a public meeting. Local campaign group SAIN (Slough Anti-Incineration Network) are taking their fears to Slough Council with the aim of stopping the incinerator.
Friends of the Earth waste campaigner, Margaret Salasidis, reflected their fears: " The implications of a massive waste incinerator capable of burning radioactive waste next to Heathrow Airport and the M4 and M25 has horrific implications for the health of tens of thousands of people in Berkshire and in the West London area. Known carcinogens such as dioxins and dangerous particulates will be emitted from the incinerator. These, combined with the nitrogen dioxide and other emissions which already surround the airport, will create a cocktail of pollution which will be dangerous for the health of residents for a radius of up to 17 miles. This incinerator is a mistake and must be called in by the Secretary of State."
Contact: Margaret Salasidis 020 8876 4987; mob 07785 937732
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1 West London Waste Authority's job is to dispose of waste generated by the boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond, Hillingdon and Harrow and Brent. It was set up by these boroughs to achieve economies of scale and provide the expertise that individual boroughs would find hard to obtain. There is a board which consists of a councillor from each of the borough.
2 Planning permission has already been granted for the incinerator. But unless Grundon can get lucrative long-term contracts from councils, guaranteeing large annual tonnages of waste for burning, it will not be economic to build the incinerator.
Links to Related Pages
If you would like to know more about our campaign, contact Margaret Salisidis on (020) 8876 4987 or msalasidis@another.com.
More on Colnbrook incinerator
Latest news on Colnebrook incinerator
Back to introduction to incineration