Veolia’s toxic waste incinerator
Greenwashing Liverpool's new toxic incinerator
by L19 Action Group
A new Veolia treatment plant in Garston, Liverpool, will have a capacity to process 86,000 tonnes of hazardous chemical waste a year. But claims by Veolia that that “…the plant will not be classified as an incinerator or co-incinerator.” (1) have been contradicted by the Environment Agency.
Despite assurances that incineration at the plant will not happen, the Environment Agency has now issued a permit allowing incineration.
Plans for an incinerator in Garston were rejected by City planners in 2009 because: ‘…the plant’s “use and perception” would “have a detrimental impact on the regeneration of Garston”.
This highly dangerous facility, with the potential to be another Flixborough disaster (see our previous blog ‘New Era of Toxic Time Bombs‘), will operate in a residential area near two schools, making the lives of people, already suffering from polluted air, much worse.
The new Veolia plant was given the go-ahead without full scrutiny by Liverpool City Council under delegated powers. Despite objections from almost 600 people, including local councillors and residents.
An email to a local resident from Maria Eagle, the local MP quoted Theresa Grant OBE, Interim Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council saying “…there are currently no proposals for an incinerator in Garston, or elsewhere in the city.” (2)
Jonathan Woodward, Principal Planning Officer, Liverpool City Council has also said “There is no mention of incinerators at the plant and I have no knowledge of any proposals for an incinerator in Garston, or elsewhere in the city.” (3)
It loooks like Liverpool City Council have been taken in by Veolia’s ‘Greenwashing’ , or what the company brands as their ‘GreenUp’ strategy, claiming that it will save 172,000 tonnes of CO2 in greenhouse gas emissions each year, the equivalent to taking 78,000 diesel cars off the road.
Of course, it is irrelevant to the local community what this toxic waste plant is called. It’s the local people who will feel the effects of the toxic plume which will spew from it’s towers. It’s local people who will have to breathe in the cocktail of chemicals every day, living in fear of fire or explosion in a community already suffering some of the worst health in England. It is local people who were promised that this would be a flagship for Garston’s regeneration.
Notes:
FAQs in relation to Veolia, Garston, L19 8EG Update 15th November 2023
email to a Garston resident from the office of Maria Eagle MP, 26th October, 2022.
email from Jonathan Woodward to resident and Councillor Sam Gorst 25th October, 2022.