Rubbish incineration not as clean as its advocates say

reelpower

Rubbish incineration not as clean as its advocates say
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/4/27/focus/14072119&sec=focus

LETTER to editor, THE STAR, 27 April 2006
CHAN CHIAN WEN,
Birmingham, Britain.

I DISAGREE with Ridzuan Jusoh over our waste management system, “Time to get tough and build the incinerator” (The Star, April 26).

Landfills should not be considered primitive and Third World. I am studying in Britain and I know for a fact that only 8% of the country's waste is being incinerated.

An incinerator is not as clean as one thinks it is. It spews out hazardous gases such as dioxin and nitrogen oxide.

Dioxin is cancerous. The two gases will be precipitated as rain, polluting our rivers, forests and land.

Incinerators are more appropriate in places where land is scarce such as Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

Depending on the type of rubbish collected, the incinerator is not as energy productive as one thinks it is, not to mention the amount of extra carbon dioxide that will be released into the atmosphere, causing global warming.

Landfill spillage into rivers is the result of local councils mismanaging them. And illegal dumping is caused by lack of enforcement.

Rather than spending a considerable amount of energy, the production of which will affect the environment, would it not be more practical to spend slightly extra to improve the efficiency of our waste management system?

The average citizen is guilty of pollution, too. Just take a walk down any commercial centre and see the amount of litter everywhere.

The combined rubbish generated is much more than the amount spilled from landfills or illegal dumpsites.

CHAN CHIAN WEN,
Birmingham, Britain.