GAIA Europe: Citizens Want Public Funding to Go for Community Recycling Solutions
4th
October 2011 - Citizens’ groups across the globe are pressing
governments to direct scarce financial resources to support
community-led, job-generating and climate-friendly solutions to waste
and toxic pollution, not to polluting incinerators and landfills.
On the occasion of the Global Day of Action against Waste and Incineration, groups affiliated with the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)
drew attention to the misuse of public and/or climate funds to pay for
or subsidize incinerator or landfill projects, which are known to
discharge dangerous environmental pollutants, including greenhouse gases
blamed for global warming patterns.
Incineration is very expensive, creates very few jobs, wastes energy, delays the fight against global warming, it destroys finite resources and is non-sustainable. It is outrageous that public money should support this industry. We don't have either the money or time to waste on this dead end solution. The money would be far better spent on an aggressive effort to move our throwaway societies to a Zero Waste future. Instead of burning the residual fraction we need to make it very visible and say to industry "If we can't reuse it, recycle it or compost it, industry shouldn't be making it." said Joan Marc Simon, GAIA Coordinator for Europe.
Public
information, education, mobilization and protest activities are taking
place on or around September 30 in dozens of countries, in support of
the global campaign to block funds for deceptive waste management
projects that are in fact exacerbating the climate crisis and deviously
killing recycling jobs.
In Europe actions took place in France, Italy, United Kingdom or Spain to
denounce the lack of funding going to alternative sustainable practices
and technologies whilst national and European public funding goes to
subsidise the construction of incinerators and or reward the energy they
produce. In the meantime no premium goes to energy savings from
prevention, reuse or recycling.
Through
a statement sent to the Transitional Committee (TC) of the Green
Climate Fund (GCF)*, over 100 groups from over 25 countries demanded
the cessation of public subsidies, carbon and renewable energy credits,
tax incentives and other concessions for all kinds for waste
incineration and landfill gas projects.
GAIA
and its many partners in the global recycling movement are asking the
GCF to ensure access by grassroots recyclers to climate funds for
inclusive Zero Waste programs and projects.
Such
programs and projects can include initiatives on waste prevention and
reduction, elimination of toxic chemicals in products and packaging,
source separation of discards, grazing, composting and biogas for
source-segregated organics, full social and economic inclusion of
informal sector recyclers, and extended producer responsibility.
-end-
Contact: Joan Marc Simon +34 6464 08 963 jm.simon(at)no-burn.org
