Strange bedfellows in zero-waste plan, says expert

The government wants to build what has been touted as the world's largest municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator in Broga and promote recycling at the same time.

That it sees the two aims as complementary comes as a shock to Dr Paul Connett, a chemistry professor at New York's St Lawrence University, US.

Connett, a proponent of the zero waste concept, said: "Don't expect incinerators and recycling to be bedfellows!"

"The Japanese have no right to build incinerators anywhere in the world. Isn't it enough that they have been poisoning their own people for decades now?"

Connett was among 120 grassroots activists and scientists from more than 20 countries, who met in Penang recently to share their findings and experiences at workshops to promote incinerator alternatives such as clean production and zero waste.

'Zero waste' refers to a guiding principle, which holds that waste is not natural and can be eliminated with proper design, policy and advocacy efforts.

The meeting organised by the Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance/Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (Gaia) and the Consumers Association of Penang.

'Backward move'

Connett said many developed countries such as the US, Canada and much of Europe moved away from incinerators some years ago because "incineration is the most unpopular technology since nuclear power".

"In the US, more than 300 MSW incinerator proposals have been rejected since 1985. No incinerator of any significant size has been built there in the last eight years. In Canada, no new incinerators have been built in the past 14 years."

In the early 1990s, he said about 500 groups had opposed incineration in Germany while in Bavaria, o­ne million people voted to have a referendum o­n a waste plan which would have eliminated incineration.

Apart from the Philippines, the o­nly country to ban incinerators, some American states have also chosen to prohibit incineration, Connett said.

"Why would Malaysia want to waste billions of ringgit to move backwards with Japanese technology, not to mention the dangers and risks to people's lives?" he asked, adding his view that Japanese officials had 'mad burn disease'.

"Japan has three times more MSW incinerators (about 1,800) than the rest of the world combined (approximately 600). It is also the largest emitter of dioxin in the world."

He was speaking in relation to the proposed 1,500-tonne proposed project in Broga, which will use Japanese technology if approved.

He also debunked the popular claim that incinerators convert waste to energy, and that these are thus a profitable venture.

"Many people erroneously believe that incinerators make a profit by generating electricity. They do not. The profit comes from the tipping fee (and hidden subsidies)."

"The tipping fee is o­nly obtainable if the community is trapped by a contract (usually put-or-pay)," he said, citing the German model where tipping fees for some incinerators exceed US$400 (RM1,520) per tonne.

Connett said the US spends about US$6 billion each year to subsidise incinerators.

He said that, in many instances, huge investments in incinerators leave the country. In contrast, money from alternatives goes back into the community through the creation of jobs and local industries.

Connett also cautioned against unquestioning acceptance of terms such as 'waste-to-energy', 'energy-from-waste', 'resource recovery facility' and 'combined heat and power', which are often used to sell incineration technology.

"Fact is, more energy is saved by re-using objects and recycling materials than the energy generated from burning them," he said..

Toxic ash

He also said the more effective the incinerator, the higher its generation of toxic fly-ash (fine solid particles released into the air during fuel combustion).

"For every three to four tonnes of trash burned, o­ne tonne of ash (10% fly-ash and 90% bottom-ash) is produced. In Germany, fly-ash is packed in nylon bags and sent to salt mines the same way nuclear waste is treated," Connett said.

Following a 1994 US Supreme Court decision, MSW incinerator ash must be treated as a hazardous waste in that country.

Its toxicity is due to high levels of lead, cadmium, dioxins and furans. Exposure to fly-ash and bottom-ash occurs when these are melted and turned into glass-like material (in Japan), added to asphalt (the Netherlands) or made into road and building materials (central European countries).

Connett said that, for zero waste to be successful, there must be a mindset shift towards sustainable communities.

This demands commitment in adopting source separation, reuse, repair, recycle, composting, as well as non-toxic and non-biodegradable landfill as an interim measure, accompanied by education for waste reduction.

Industries, he said, must also show responsibility by conducting waste audits for reduction, clean production, extended producer responsibility and better designs for packages and products.

Many communities in the US, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, Canada, Africa and South America have embarked o­n alternatives to incineration as part of their efforts to better manage their own trash.