AFTER generating a great deal of controversy, plans for a waste facility near Dunbar have been withdrawn, for the time being anyway.
Viridor Waste Management first proposed the building of an incinerator at Owellmains last year and their application sparked a groundswell of reaction from local residents, so much so that action group IRATE was set up in direct opposition.
And it a
ppears that the objectors have now got their desired outcome after a Viridor representative told a meeting last week that the application for the Energy from Waste (EfW) facility had been put on hold.
Speaking at a public meeting at Dunbar Grammar School on March 11, Dan Cooke, external affairs manager at Viridor said that the plan to build a superincenerator had been withdrawn pending a review by the company, one of the UK's leading recycling and waste management firms.
The meeting, attended by 70 people, had been arranged by Dunbar Community Council with the purpose of gauging public opinion on the application before the community council sumbitted their response to it.
Pete Collins, director for environment for East Lothian Council confirmed that the Viridor planning application was on hold and officials had discontinued any work on the application.
This was against the background that Iain Gray, Labour MSP for East Lothian, had established through parliamentary questions that there are health risks associated with particulate emissions and that the Scottish Government's policy effectively ruled out superincinerators such as that proposed by Viridor.
Mr Gray submitted a number of questions to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead concerned with the health risks associated with waste facilities like the one outlined by Virdidor.
Mr Lochhead was asked whether there was a correlation between pollution from PM2.5 particles and higher than average incident of respiratory problems and how this would be taken into account by ministers when it came to permitting or monitoring energy from waste facilities.
And in his reply, Mr Lochhead stated that scientific studies conducted worldwide have found varying levels of association between inhalation of small airborne particles and a range of acute and chronic diseases.
In some cases, the airborne particles have been shown to increase the incidence of disease occurrence, and in others to exacerbate the pre-existing diseases.
However, Mr Lochhead added that waste plants were governed by Waste Incineration Regulations (2003) which impose stringent emission standards and controls which are designed to prevent negative effects on the environment and the resulting risks to human health.
Viridor had previously accused IRATE of scaremongering with accusations that infant mortality rates would soar in East Lothian and Berwickshire if their application was given the green light.
IRATE's objection to the waste management facility was supported by pollution expert Doctor Dick van Steenis who said that particulates below PM 2.5 size cannot be collected by the scrubbing and bag filter methods used by incinerators and these are the cause not only of infant deaths but also of birth defects, low birth weight babies and a wide range of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, depression, diabetes II, lower IQ and cancers.
He added that people from all over East Lothian and Berwickshire, from Haddington to Duns would be effected by what he described as "harmful emissions."
However, Viridor slammed IRATE and Doctor van Steenis for "uncessarily frightening local people" and labelled them as "reckless scaremongers."
But following the public meeting last week, chairman of IRATE, Philip Jones said the action group's concerns were justified.
"It is clear that Viridor have now begun to recognise that their position is untenable. A month ago they were dismissing the Cabinet Secretary's statement in parliament, ruling out superincinerators from the Scottish scene, as mere sound bites. They are now learning otherwise.
"A month ago they dismissed IRATE as "reckless scaremongers" for raising legitimate questions about the health risks of incineration. Iain Gray's parliamentary question confirmed that particulates cause serious health problems. Viridor's own spokesperson has admitted that incinerator chimneys emit particulates. Need I say more?"
"It is typical that Viridor have chosen to sneak out their decision to review their planning application with minimum publicity. They do not want the people of Scotland to know they are beaten."
Cold water was also poured on Viridor's proposals by the Scottish Government with the announcement of their new waste strategy in January.
One of the key statements was that "large, inefficient incinerators be rejected," with Richard Lochhead telling his colleagues that: "Such plants could easily become white elephants and drain public funds.
"They will require excessive transportation of waste and could also crowd out recycling and waste prevention."
However, a statement released by Viridor earlier this week stated that the company remain convinced of the benefits of an EfW combined heat and power facility at Oxwellmains.
Dan Cooke said; "It is only sensible that we review our proposals in light of the Scottish Government announcements.
"We attended the public meeting and have issued a press statement providing full information to keep local residents informed although we noted the low attendance at the meeting.
"We would like to clarify that Viridor is fully committed to the health and safety of its employees, neighbours and the surrounding communities in which it operates.
"EfW is one of the most strictly regulated industrial processes in Europe and is monitored closely in Scotland by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).
"The constant references made to a 'super-incinerator' show a lack of awareness of similarly scaled plants operating safely and efficiently across the UK and Europe.
"Over the last 10 years, detailed and reliable research studies, based on sound science and including those commissioned by the Government and Health Protection Agencies, have rejected the thesis that there are significant health risks associated with EfW.
"We deplore continued local scare-mongering which is based on discredited and unaccountable sources."
