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Illegal Swiss waste burning tops dioxin sources
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Illegal Swiss waste burning tops dioxin sources
ENDS Daily - 22/09/99
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The Swiss environment ministry has warned householders that
burning domestic refuse in gardens or in fireplaces is the
countries biggest cause of dioxin pollution. In a
statement issued yesterday, the ministry stressed that
uncontrolled burning led to emissions of up to 10,000 times
more dioxins per kilo of waste than modern municipal
incinerators. A ministry official blamed the practice on
householders attempting to avoid paying local waste
disposal charges, which are generally SFr1-2 (euros
0.62-1.25) per 35 litre bag. It mostly occurred in rural
areas, where neighbours were less likely to see bonfires,
he said. Uncontrolled burning of household waste is
illegal under Swiss law and the ministry says it intends to
increase monitoring, improve public information and impose
more fines in an attempt to counter the problem. The
ministry's latest estimates of dioxins from household waste
burning are reported in its magazine "Umwelt".
Contacts: Swiss environment ministry
(http://www.admin.ch/uvek), tel: +41 31 322 5511.
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