The Covanta Incinerator – Your Questions Answered
Here are some questions you might like answered concerning what will happen if the proposed Covanta Incinerator in Stewartby is given the go ahead:
Where does the rubbish go?
Up the chimney and all over Bedfordshire.
Will this affect the air I breath?
Yes.
Is the incinerator environmentally friendly?
No. It’s less environmentally friendly than a coal fired power station. Both generate masses of CO2 but the incinetor will add a few poisonous and carcinogenic substances to the mix as well.
Will the incinerator generate a significant amount of electric power?
No. If one looks at Chapter 8 of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observation, one can verify that the solar power falling on one square metre of land on a sunny day, is 120 watts. This means that the amount of solar power falling on a square kilometre of land is 120 Megawatts. The projected power output of the Covanta Incinerator is 65Megawatts, which is little more than half this value.
Can I rely on Covanta not to emit carcinogenic material into the atmosphere?
No. last year, the New Jersey register reported that Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was suing Covanta for emitting excessive levels of a carcinogen for the second time in three years at its waste-to-energy plant in Wallingford, Connecticut. If Covanta behave like this in the USA, we have absolutely no reason to believe they will behave any differently here in the UK.
For further information, here is an article about incineration by a Professor of Environmental Chemistry: http://www.cank.org.uk/connett1.html
Thanks for keeping us focussed on this issue, Richard. Covanta need a minimum supply of rubbish to keep their incinerator viable, or there will be financial penalties (see the Dublin Poolbeg report on the Waste Management World web site 1st Feb 2011.) With a major recycling effort across all sectors in the region: households, schools, colleges, business, industry etc it will not be viable. So who’s up for a zero waste challenge?
Heather Mitchell
If you would like to see the initial representations, which people have made to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) at the initial stage of the consultation process, you can find them here:
http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/projects/eastern/rookery-south-energy-from-waste-generating-station/have-your-say./