by Joyce Nelson
February 1, 2010

At the “Waste-Based-Energy” industry conference in Toronto last November, the tony Yorkville hotel meeting room was filled with consultants, lawyers, company reps, and municipal bureaucrats, all talking trash: waste tonnage spread-sheets, the seeming evils of landfill sites, the supreme benefits of burning municipal solid waste (MSW) to make energy.

A must-read series of three articles by author and journalist Joyce Nelson.

Incinerators - Waste-to-Energy Proposals

Across Canada, the US, the UK, Europe, and Asia, communities are facing an unprecedented onslaught of proposals for new incinerators. In July 2008, Friends of the Earth released a map showing dozens of planned new incinerator sites across the UK. The British government has committed billions to new incineration, while cutting budgets for recycling by 30 per cent.

Clarington, Tue Feb 9, 2009 - Clarington residents say they feel abandoned
by the Clarington councillors who would welcome a polluting incinerator
but failed to act to ensure that public health is safeguarded. Councillors
voted 4-3 Monday evening to accept a recommendation against hiring expert
reviewers in the next phase of the environmental assessment for the Durham
incinerator proposed for the lakeshore in Courtice.

"The majority of Clarington councillors do not understand the
environmental assessment process or their role as representatives of the

Attn: News Editors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thu Jan 14 2010

DURHAM INCINERATOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REVIEW NOT ON TIME OR BUDGET

Durham Region — The environmental assessment study for Durham Region's waste incinerator project is not "on time and budget" as was previously stated by Durham Works Commissioner Cliff Curtis, say Durham residents watching the project. Residents are also alarmed that Durham Region councillors on the Works committee appear unconcerned about the possibility that the environmental assessment review will be flawed and, if the incinerator were approved, that human health and the environment could be impacted.

MEDIA RELEASE - Friday June 26, 2009

DURHAM INCINERATOR VOTE OVERLOOKED PROBLEMS

Durham Region, Fri June 26, 2009 -- Durham Region councillors who voted to
move the Durham incinerator project forward did so by ignoring significant
problems with the environmental assessment study, the lack of a detailed
business case, and glossed over the troubling environmental and labour
record of the selected contractor, Covanta Energy. Instead, longtime
incinerator supporters on council chose to repeat industry fairy tales or
attempted to divert attention from the subject.

Media Release
For Immediate Release
May 20, 2009

Opposition to the Proposed Durham/York P3 Incinerator is Gaining Steam

OTTAWA--Durham York residents are rallying together this week in
opposition to a P3 (Public Private Partnership) incinerator proposal
that would handle municipal waste from as far away as Toronto. The
proposed site for the incinerator, which has a projected lifespan of
25 years, is less than a kilometre from the shores of Lake Ontario.
The incineration process creates toxic fly ash which must then be
transported to a facility in New York State.

“This incineration proposal is a recipe for an environmental
disaster,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May. “People need to remember
that burning waste does not make it disappear. It turns into toxic
emissions that then contaminate the surrounding area.”

Councillors will decide if community will be willing host
May 11, 2009 - 03:20 PM
BY KEITH GILLIGAN

CLARINGTON -- A handful of protestors gathered outside the Clarington municipal building this morning, opposed to the municipality being a willing host for an incinerator.

Read more at NewsDurhamRegion.com...

Actually, it was a press conference held by CUPE Ontario, CAW, Prevent Cancer Now and Clarington local councillors.

Durham Region, Tue April 14, 2009 -- It's too early for Durham Region to sign any deal with US incinerator vendor Covanta, say residents concerned about the health and financial risks of the plan to burn trash from Durham and York regions. The residents point out there are three essential pieces of information missing that councillors would need to know before making any decision to proceed with the project.

Durham Region, March 10, 2009 -- Despite often repeated promises to address the public's health and safety concerns, Durham Region councillors on the Joint Waste Management Group (JWMG), the Durham/York EFW incinerator steering committee, voted today against ambient air monitoring in the vicinity of the proposed incinerator in Durham Region. They were adopting the recommendations of the Environmental Assessment Study consultants Jacques Whitford Ltd.

Clarington March 2, 2009 -- Clarington and Durham Region Councils are out of touch with the concerns of participants at a youth focus group on environmental issues, say residents who advocate for Zero Waste. Students from several Clarington high schools named waste management and conservation of resources their top priorities, yet Durham Region councillors have consistently voted to move the EFW incinerator project forward.