Ivybridge residents question all aspects of proposed incinerator

By PRSD, on Sunday, December 13, 2009

Ivybridge residents demonstrated against the proposed incinerator that’s just a hop-skip and a jump away from the town’s centre. With Dorset County Council turning away from an ‘energy to waste plant’ and Hampshire importing waste to its plant from around the country to make ends meet, protesters questioned the economics, as well as the environmental and infrastructure issues surrounding the plant.

“This incinerator would burn 275,000 tonnes of waste every year and would burn all day every day for at least the next 25 years,” said Frankie Dolan, founder of the EcoIvy site.

“At least, it would burn that much waste if we had that much waste, but even now we don’t. With recycling rates increasing and packaging decreasing, South Devon would not have enough waste to feed this incinerator, so waste would have to be shipped in from elsewhere.

“This proposed incinerator makes no sense from which ever way you look at it. It would present an undisputed health risk, it would pose a serious environmental hazard, it would undermine all our recycling efforts and it would put a drain on council tax for years to come.

“We moved to this town for clean air, because we love the countryside, because we have children and Ivybridge provides a healthy and safe environment in which they may grow. But our councillors are planning on turning Ivybridge into the toxic dump of the South West.

“But let me tell you, all those people that say we are wasting our time, this is not a done deal.

“It is our duty to protect this beautiful place and because hundreds of residents are uniting against and acting on their conviction, that this solution is not the right one for our future, we have made this an undone deal.”

For Frankie Dolan’s full speech, visit EcoIvy