PR: PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT CEMENT PLANT IN MALTA REFUSED

["med.media" <med.media@diala.greenpeace.org> (by way of Neil Tangri <ntangri@essential.org>)]

Dear all,
  
Following yesterday's national debate on TV, the application submitted for the construction of a
cement plant locally was refused. The televoting resulted in: 7.5% undecided, 13% in favour and 
79.5 % against. Following the vast amount of opposition throughout the programme, the 
Planning Authority issued a statement declaring its refusal to provide a permit.
  
Good news for us all.
  
We are now attacking the Minister of Environment to introduce legislation banning incineration locally. 
  
The PR is below.
  
Best regards to all,
  
Caroline Muscat
Media Co-ordinator
Greenpeace Mediterranean
----------------------------------------------

PRESS RELEASE

GREENPEACE APPLAUDS PUBLIC&rsquo;S OPPOSTION TO CEMENT PLANT



Greenpeace calls for legislation to ban incineration

Malta 20th April, 1999 &ndash; Greenpeace Mediterranean today praised the uproar by the Maltese public to put a halt to the construction of a cement plant in Hal-Farrug. Greenpeace is now calling upon the Minister of Environment to introduce the necessary legislation to ban incineration.



Despite allegations to the contrary by Polcem, the cement plant was an obvious case of incineration. A report presented on Pjazza 3 yesterday, showing the Business Development Plan by Polcem, which had conveniently been kept away from the public eye, clearly proved the company&rsquo;s intention to burn hazardous waste to fuel the plant:



&lsquo;In addition to local building and excavation waste, the plant could also use other locally generated waste material ( eg rubber tyres, plastic materials and other parts ) as part of the raw materials used. In this way Polcem could contribute in a significant way to solving the local waste management problem.&rsquo;



Greenpeace condemns the misinformation spread by Polcem in an attempt to justify the existence of the plant. The public should be protected from such measures by legislation that safeguards their interests.



"The Minister of Environment must introduce the necessary legislation to prevent a situation where such developments can occur with no control. Had the Planning Authority issued that permit for the cement plant, Polcem would have been free to burn the most dangerous materials within the cement kiln, with no legislation present to stop him. Incineration must be banned from our islands before any other application of this kind is considered," said Caroline Muscat for Greenpeace Mediterranean.



Incineration can never be the solution to the waste management problem that the island is facing. The burning of waste merely serves to transfer the problem to toxic emissions polluting the surroundings and fly ash that would still need to be landfilled. ( 1)



Greenpeace demands that incineration, as well as the co-incineration that occurs in cement plants, must be banned from our islands. The Minister of Environment can no longer procrastinate in this regard.



For more information please contact Caroline Muscat, Media Co-ordinator for Greenpeace Mediterranean, on Tel. 490784/5, Fax. 490782, or E-mail. <mailto:med.media@diala.greenpeace.org>med.media@diala.greenpeace.org or gpmedite@diala.greenpeace.org



NOTES



(1) Moreover, when burning certain substances, like PVC, the fly ash will contain high levels of dioxins. In order to dispose of these dioxins in a safe manner, the fly ash is mixed with lime or caustic soda to be neutralised. Thus more waste is actually created than what was originally incinerated. For one kilo of PVC incinerated, it is estimated that up to 5 kg of residual waste is generated. Moreover, the highly hazardous waste will need to be stored and constantly monitored in a hazardous waste site, which Malta lacks. According to the Danish PVC industry, the incineration of 1 kg of PVC will result in 1 - 5 kg of residual waste that need to be disposed of as hazardous waste



END