Archived press release

Kidderminster says no to 6th west midlands incinerator

12 March 2002

Press Release
Embargo: 01.00 Tuesday 12 March
Kidderminster says no to 6th West Midlands incinerator

Friends of the Earth and local campaigners have today stepped up their campaign (12 March) to stop the construction of a huge incinerator in Kidderminster, Worcestershire [1].

Wyre Forest Friends of the Earth and Stop Kidderminster Incinerator (SKI) will present their evidence today and tomrrow at the public inquiry into the proposal by Severn Waste Services to build a 150,000 tonne incinerator. Wyre Forest FOE is being represented by local member Bob Harris, as well as by the toxicology expert Dr Vyvyan Howard of Liverpool University. SKI is being represented by Dr Alan Watson of Public Interest Consultants.

Campaigner Bob Harris will point out that:
* Incineration causes pollution and wastes valuable resources;
* 18,000 people have signed a petition objecting to the incinerator - a third of the population;
* less than 10 percent of local people want incineration [2];
* a decision on the incinerator should not be taken until Worcestershire County Council has produced its Waste Local Plan - a statutory requirement which the Council has not yet met.

Bob Harris of Wyre Forest FOE said:
“Why should Kidderminster residents suffer the toxic pollution and lorry traffic from an incinerator we neither want nor need? Give us better recycling facilities. That would be a far greener and healthier solution to the waste problem.”

The original application was turned down last April by Worcestershire County Council's Planning and Regulatory Committee by 11 votes to 2, signalling a tremendous victory for local campaigners. The applicants used their right of appeal to force a Public Inquiry [3].

The West Midlands already has 5 incinerators, more than any other English region [4]. FOE is calling on the region to promote more recycling and composting instead.

Claire Wilton, Incinerator campaigner at Friends of the Earth commented:
“Incineration is polluting, deeply unpopular and an obscene waste of resources. Composting and recycling are the answer to diverting our waste from landfill. The Government should provide doorstep recycling for every household. If Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands can all recycle over 50%, there is no reason why we can't in this country.”

1. The Kidderminster incinerator would burn150,000 tonnes of Worcestershire's municipal waste each year - over 40 per cent of the total. Worcestershire only recycles 10% of it's household waste (DETR

figures), and does not even have a waste local plan.

2. H&W County Council survey, 1996. A Kidderminster Shuttle Survey in 1998 showed only 4.42 percent in favour of incineration.

3. The public inquiry began on 19 February in Kidderminster Town Hall. It is expected to last for 5 weeks and will see national experts as well as local people making their case in front of a government appointed planning inspector.

4. The five existing incinerators are in Coventry, Tyseley, Dudley, Wolverhampton and Stoke on Trent.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust