Pity The Poor Councillor
So last Thursday the city council voted to accept reports on the latest stage in the stately progress of its Waste Local Plan which continues to support the building of a waste incinerator on a vacant brownfield site in Newhaven.
Environmental campaigners and residents opposed to having the plant in their backyard lobbied the council meeting - with no success.
Environmental pressure groups, such as Friends of the Earth, claim that incineration isn't just bad but is unnecessary, claiming that recycling rates of 60, 70 and even 80% are possible. Maybe in theory, maybe, maybe, but not within the realms of possibility of any single local council in the UK today.
The local council's primary role is to dispose of waste - which is, of course, a health hazard. It has no control over its production in the first place. The only way 80% recycling rates could possibility be achieved would be if the manufactured products which consumers buy were really designed to be recycled. A newspaper is not designed to be recycled even though it can be recycled - at great expense, both financially and environmentally.
Those who bring products to the marketplace should have to demonstrate the full life cycle costs of the product, not just the costs of production but also the costs of disposal. By disposal I mean returning the product to an environmentally neutral state - that is, non-damaging to the environment. This would require legislation and planning at both national and international governmental levels.
Today China is fast becoming the 21st. century's workshop of the world. The cost to us of her products is cheap; the cost to China's environment is dear.
Pity the poor councillor who has to make decisions about waste management when the present government, like all previous governments, is so weak and spineless on environmental matters. I had once hoped for better, but after eight years in office, only the very naïve would continue to hope for any radical change of direction or pace.
Why only last week in parliament environment minister, Ben Bradshaw, rose to the defence of the plastic shopping bag, which was banned in Ireland three years ago!
Environmental campaigners and residents opposed to having the plant in their backyard lobbied the council meeting - with no success.
Environmental pressure groups, such as Friends of the Earth, claim that incineration isn't just bad but is unnecessary, claiming that recycling rates of 60, 70 and even 80% are possible. Maybe in theory, maybe, maybe, but not within the realms of possibility of any single local council in the UK today.
The local council's primary role is to dispose of waste - which is, of course, a health hazard. It has no control over its production in the first place. The only way 80% recycling rates could possibility be achieved would be if the manufactured products which consumers buy were really designed to be recycled. A newspaper is not designed to be recycled even though it can be recycled - at great expense, both financially and environmentally.
Those who bring products to the marketplace should have to demonstrate the full life cycle costs of the product, not just the costs of production but also the costs of disposal. By disposal I mean returning the product to an environmentally neutral state - that is, non-damaging to the environment. This would require legislation and planning at both national and international governmental levels.
Today China is fast becoming the 21st. century's workshop of the world. The cost to us of her products is cheap; the cost to China's environment is dear.
Pity the poor councillor who has to make decisions about waste management when the present government, like all previous governments, is so weak and spineless on environmental matters. I had once hoped for better, but after eight years in office, only the very naïve would continue to hope for any radical change of direction or pace.
Why only last week in parliament environment minister, Ben Bradshaw, rose to the defence of the plastic shopping bag, which was banned in Ireland three years ago!
posted by Mortgage Mountain at 11/25/2005 11:43:00 pm
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