Concerns over Covanta

Written by Amy Kitcher and published in Merthyr Express Letters Page on Thu 5th Mar 2009

Merthyr Lib Dem, Amy Kitcher, is concerned about plans to build a incinerator

Dear Sir: I am very concerned that both the Welsh Assembly Government and Merthyr Council seem to be fully supporting Covanta's proposal for a giant incinerator in Merthyr Tydfil.

Just like the prison before it, this announcement has come out of the blue for the residents of Merthyr. And just like the prison, the council's leaders are jumping in to support it without stopping to listen to what local people think.

Yes, the plant would provide jobs, but we must consider the wider issues too. Local people will need to be reassured that there will not be any risk posed by the emissions from the plant. Covanta announced that the plant will produce no dioxins, yet it has since been exposed that Covanta have been fined in the US for their plants producing excessive levels of these same chemicals.

We have not yet heard any plans as to how the ash from the incinerator will be disposed of. This is normally sent to landfill, but is more hazardous than ordinary landfill waste. It would be completely unsuitable to send this waste to Trecatti as it is far too close to residents.

The plan for an incinerator for the whole of Wales also flies completely in the face of WAG's policy of developing waste consortia between local authorities. There is a real danger that the council's positive response to the incinerator plan will damage existing partnership working with RCT. This partnership is already developing sustainable recycling operations. If these suffer at the hands of an incinerator it will be a terrible indictment of Merthyr Council's green credentials.

Ffos-y-Fran mine is only scheduled to run for another 17 years, yet Covanta's proposal would last 30 years after five years of construction. The claim that it will be sharing trains with Ffos-y-Fran simply cannot be true after the mine closes.

When the Ffos-y-Fran mine was forced upon local residents, it was assured to them that the land would be restored to open park land when it was completed. Yet Covanta's plan would see an incinerator on site for nearly two decades after mining is scheduled to stop.

There are far too many unanswered questions for anyone to already claim that this will be "A very positive project and a huge opportunity for Merthyr Tydfil", as Council Leader Jeff Edwards has already stated.

The Liberal Democrats in Merthyr Tydfil will be looking for answers to these questions and more when Covanta come to Merthyr Council next week.

I hope that Cllr Edwards and his colleagues will not be blinded by the prospect of new jobs, and consider the wider picture before committing any further support.

Amy Kitcher

Councillor for Town ward

Lib Dem spokesperson for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney