Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
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Chapter 3: The politics of wasteIndustrial incineration proposals were also rolling in. In 2002, groundWork documented16 such proposals. Several were backed by <strong>the</strong> US Trade and Development Agency(TDA) or by <strong>the</strong> International Finance Corporation (IFC), <strong>the</strong> private sector lendingarm of <strong>the</strong> World Bank, looking for expansion opportunities for Nor<strong>the</strong>rn corporationsas <strong>the</strong>ir technologies ran into opposition on <strong>the</strong>ir home ground.Sydney Saunders’ company, Peacock Bay Environmental Services, decided that <strong>the</strong>time was ripe to try its luck again in 2001 – a decade after its west coast incineratorproposal was shot down. In partnership with a US corporation, Peacock Bay proposeda large hazardous waste incinerator for Sasolburg. The proposal was funded by <strong>the</strong> USTDA and supported by South Africa’s own DTI who appeared to be interested notonly in ‘technology transfer’ but also in making money from importing waste. Whenchallenged to explicitly state its position on toxic waste imports, DTI refused comment.The Sasolburg Air Quality Monitoring Committee, with support from groundWorkand <strong>the</strong> Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance (GAIA), opposed <strong>the</strong> project and won <strong>the</strong>support of <strong>the</strong> local municipal council. The Free State provincial authority <strong>the</strong>n took<strong>the</strong> rare step of rejecting <strong>the</strong> EIA. The local council’s opposition appeared decisivebut <strong>the</strong> Record of Decision also cited <strong>the</strong> EIA’s failure to address health risks and <strong>the</strong>impact on cumulative emissions in <strong>the</strong> already polluted town.In south Durban, Mondi proposed its ‘multi-fuel burner’ designed to burn coal,toge<strong>the</strong>r with ash and pulp wastes and, in <strong>the</strong> view of SDCEA, any o<strong>the</strong>r rubbish thatMondi might conveniently throw into it. This 2002 proposal followed an earlier Mondiproposal instigated by <strong>the</strong> IFC for burning briquettes made from general waste. Whenchallenged, <strong>the</strong> IFC could not answer questions on dioxin emissions and how <strong>the</strong>ywould be monitored and <strong>the</strong> World Bank killed <strong>the</strong> project. The new project, whichMondi claimed reduced <strong>the</strong> use of dirty fuels in south Durban, was given fast-trackapproval by <strong>the</strong> provincial environmental authority. SDCEA challenged <strong>the</strong> decision incourt, demanding a full EIA. This was granted but provided only temporary relief. In2005, <strong>the</strong> Record of Decision for <strong>the</strong> full EIA again approved <strong>the</strong> project. It imposed amuch deeper cut in sulphur dioxide emissions from <strong>the</strong> plant than previously requiredbut did not meet SDCEA’s concerns relating to dioxins.In Richards Bay, <strong>the</strong> US DTA also stumped up funding for <strong>the</strong> feasibility study onan energy from waste plant proposed by Rainbow Millenium Power in 2003. Despiteofficial backing, <strong>the</strong> plan appears to have stalled in <strong>the</strong> context of Eskom’s cheap powerregime. The electricity supply crisis of 2008 has given it new life. Rainbow Millenium<strong>Wasting</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Nation</strong> - groundWork - 65 -