Petition Launched As Inquiry Looms
Press Release – Zero Waste Network
For the past five years, the Zero Waste Network and our allies have successfully resisted new incinerators on the front lines. We are now taking the fight to Parliament to deliver a lasting solution. Lets keep Aotearoa incinerator free!
On the eve of a major Board of Inquiry that will assess if a large-scale rubbish incinerator proposed for Te Awamutu can go ahead, the Zero Waste Network and allies are launching a new petition to keep the country incinerator-free.
'We want central government to ban new waste incinerators at a national level because of the serious human health, climate and air pollution impacts. The proposal in Te Awamutu would emit toxins like dioxin and heavy metals which are likely to result in premature deaths, infertility, increased rates of cancer and birth defects. There is no safe level of exposure to dioxin,' said Sue Coutts, spokesperson for the Network.
'We know that burning carbon-intensive wastes like plastics emit more greenhouse gases and pollutants than coal. The Te Awamutu proposal was cited by the EPA as having global climate implications.'
'Right now, small communities, often in provincial or rural areas, are being targeted by these incinerator companies. These communities are bearing the burden of stopping these toxic projects. This is why central government leadership is so important.'
'Environment Minister Penny Simmonds rightly called in the Te Awamutu proposal for consideration by a Board of Inquiry. This will allow a more thorough assessment of impacts than had it been considered at local government level. However, this process does not stop other projects from coming forward.'
'To get a sense of the aggressiveness of the industry, there were three projects that sought to be included under the Fast Track Approvals regime: this Te Awamutu project, one in Tolaga Bay on the East Cape, and a very large incinerator in Waimate. Only one of those projects, in Waimate, was ultimately included in the legislation's initial listing, but is now unable to proceed because the land deal fell apart.'
'For the past five years, the Zero Waste Network and our allies have successfully resisted new incinerators on the front lines. We are now taking the fight to Parliament to deliver a lasting solution. Let's keep Aotearoa incinerator free!'
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Otago Daily Times
a day ago
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Simmonds out and about and talking trash in recess week
As regular readers of Southern Say will know, this is a column which likes a cheap pun as much as the next hack. Environment Minister Penny Simmonds making a keynote speech to the Waste Minimisation conference, as she did this week, certainly offers a multitude of possibilities for mischief. However, this was a serious speech by the Invercargill National MP, one which set out much of what she has been doing in a portfolio in which the opposition likes to claim Ms Simmonds' performance has been of diminishing proportions to the needs of the great outdoors. "Over the past year and a-half, I've been focused on delivering the government's priorities for waste, contaminated sites and broader environmental challenges," Ms Simmonds began encouragingly. "We know the waste sector has long-standing issues, but these challenges come with opportunities to improve outcomes for both the natural world and our communities." So far, so green. As, potentially, are changes to replace the Waste Minimisation Act and the Litter Act which the government has recently consulted on: the former law dates from 2008 and the latter from 1979, and the attitudes to and science concerning those issues are much changed and greatly advanced. "The aim is to introduce the new legislation before the next general election," she said. The government was also working on improving recycling, reducing plastics use and was awaiting a report on how to recycle materials which at present cannot be accepted by kerbside collection schemes. Now, some might say "what a load of old rubbish" to that, but consider this. The WasteMINZ conference is a four-day affair with an associated trade expo event — "the flagship event for New Zealand's waste, resource recovery and contaminated land sectors" may sound unnecessarily grandiose, but WasteMINZ has got some game. 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RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
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Scoop
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Petition Launched As Inquiry Looms
Press Release – Zero Waste Network For the past five years, the Zero Waste Network and our allies have successfully resisted new incinerators on the front lines. We are now taking the fight to Parliament to deliver a lasting solution. Lets keep Aotearoa incinerator free! On the eve of a major Board of Inquiry that will assess if a large-scale rubbish incinerator proposed for Te Awamutu can go ahead, the Zero Waste Network and allies are launching a new petition to keep the country incinerator-free. 'We want central government to ban new waste incinerators at a national level because of the serious human health, climate and air pollution impacts. The proposal in Te Awamutu would emit toxins like dioxin and heavy metals which are likely to result in premature deaths, infertility, increased rates of cancer and birth defects. There is no safe level of exposure to dioxin,' said Sue Coutts, spokesperson for the Network. 'We know that burning carbon-intensive wastes like plastics emit more greenhouse gases and pollutants than coal. The Te Awamutu proposal was cited by the EPA as having global climate implications.' 'Right now, small communities, often in provincial or rural areas, are being targeted by these incinerator companies. These communities are bearing the burden of stopping these toxic projects. This is why central government leadership is so important.' 'Environment Minister Penny Simmonds rightly called in the Te Awamutu proposal for consideration by a Board of Inquiry. This will allow a more thorough assessment of impacts than had it been considered at local government level. However, this process does not stop other projects from coming forward.' 'To get a sense of the aggressiveness of the industry, there were three projects that sought to be included under the Fast Track Approvals regime: this Te Awamutu project, one in Tolaga Bay on the East Cape, and a very large incinerator in Waimate. Only one of those projects, in Waimate, was ultimately included in the legislation's initial listing, but is now unable to proceed because the land deal fell apart.' 'For the past five years, the Zero Waste Network and our allies have successfully resisted new incinerators on the front lines. We are now taking the fight to Parliament to deliver a lasting solution. Let's keep Aotearoa incinerator free!'
