Media Work

On the same day as our general meeting, Beatrice spoke to BBC Look North about recycling and incineration.

2012 - 2013 Yearly Review

Clean British Energy Campaign
This has mainly focused on people signing postcards to urge the government to invest in renewables rather than following a ‘Dash for gas’.  If gas fired power stations were built it would mean the UK would not achieve it’s Climate Change targets, it would mean less green jobs and higher fuel bills as gas prices continue to rise.  People were also encouraged to earn a CBE certificate by switching to a power company that invests in renewables such as Ecotricity or Good Energy.  A petition to make Sheffield a Frack-free city was started with Sheffield Climate Alliance.  A photo stunt entitled ‘Green is working’ to promote green jobs was held in October.  A display of photographs featuring Renewable Energy was set up in the Town Hall foyer in December.

‘Energy we can all afford’ public meeting – Clive Betts MP (Labour), Cllr Joe Otten (LibDem) Simon Bowen (FoE) Craig Jackson (SYHA & LiveGreen) and Emma Bridge (Sheffield Renewables) answered questions from the public about the rocketing fuel bills, green jobs and climate change.  The meeting held at The Circle on Rockingham Lane, was organised by Sheffield Friends of the Earth in collaboration with Sheffield Campaign Against Climate Change.  It was held despite heavy snowfall and hope it influences Decarbonisation targets being included in the Energy Bill.

The Bee Cause
In July we held a Bee Breakfast with Meg Munn MP & Cllr Isabel Bowler and were featured on Radio Sheffield by Paulette Edwards.  In September Cllr Jillian Creasy and Cllr Sylvia Anginotti attended a Bee Walk.  There was a petition for a National Bee Action Plan and cards for people to sign.  Free seeds, wildflower posters and booklets made this a very popular campaign.  A bee map where people had marked their bee friendly gardens was displayed in the Town Hall foyer in September.  The group are currently searching for a site to plant a bee meadow in Sheffield.

Make it Better Campaign
Some smart phones contain tin which comes from Bangka Island in Indonesia causing devastation of the environment.  E-mails were sent to Samsung and Apple.


Litter Pick
We conducted our litter pick on Penistone Road on the Jubilee Holiday Tuesday 5th June 2012.  We wore masks of the Royal Family and were featured in the Sheffield Star newspaper.

Free Green Film Festival
As a result of a ‘buy two get one free’ offer at Dogwoof films, we showed ‘The Island President’, a very recently released film, on 30th May 2012.

The latest film festival will take place in the Spring 2013 with four films being shown on successive Wednesdays at the Red Deer pub beginning with Blue Gold on 17th April.

Stalls
We have run 9 stalls at: Environment Week, National Climate Jobs Caravan, the Green Fair, Firth Park Festival, Lowedges Festival, Ecclesfield Gala, Sheffield Food Festival, Riverlution and Peace and Craft Fair

Facebook, Twitter and Website
Sheffield FoE now has an active presence on Facebook and Twitter thanks to John who tweets and posts regularly.  Shaun has radically updated the website so it has a fresh modern feel.

Speakers
Dave Berry from Sheffield Renewables spoke at the September meeting about the share offer.  As a result of this it was decided that Sheffield FoE should buy a share.  Malcolm Lee of Sheffield Forgemasters spoke at the February meeting on the subject of ‘A Manufacturing Perspective on UK & EU Climate Change Policy’

Training
Members have attended various training sessions including the FoE Northern Gathering at Haworth, Local Groups' Conference in London, Planning Masterclass (Richard) and the Bee Prepared Day in Darlington.  There were also more varied local training days such as Planning and Sustainable Housing.

Other Actions

• Gerry attended the ‘Broomhill Air Quality Symposium’ on 21st April 2012.  
• Richard reported on his visit to the Garden Organic AGM at the May meeting.
• Liddy helped out on 15th September on a Greenpeace stall to lobby MPs about the Electricity Market Reform Bill.
• Richard attended the Sheffield Food Conference on 13th September and wrote a short report.
• Maureen wrote in support of Holbrook Biomass plant providing it is locally sourced.
• We opposed the RecyCoal planning application with a draft letter of objection being circulated among members.  Unfortunately this was passed at the January planning meeting. 
• Met with Cllr Jack Scott in October to discuss SCC environmental policy.
• We opposed the widening of the Incinerator’s resource base to as far away as Newark.  A sample bullet pointed letter was circulated among members for them to lodge their objections.
• Maureen’s letter about fracking was featured in January 10th Sheffield Telegraph.
• John talked to Sheffield Rotary Club about Sheffield FoE on 12th February
• Beatrice and John lobbied David Blunkett on 9th March about putting pressure on the government about the Energy Bill

Incinerator Planning Application - Write a Letter

The incinerator application to extend the range and percentage of imported waste hasn't gone through planning yet.  It is thought that increased pressure on our local politicians may sway the vote to oppose this application. Maureen has produced a list of 19 reasons to reject the application. Points 1-5 are about recycling, 6-15 are about transportation and the other points are general issues.

Peter requested that members contact their councillors and MPs objecting to the application.

To: Your MP and councillors
Ref no: 12/03137/FUL

I object to Veolia’s current application to vary Condition 3 of permission 01/10135/FUL.

1.There is no evidence that the additional feedstock would be truly residual.  The 2007 Waste Strategy states that waste that could be recycled should not be incinerated.  What evidence is there that the imported waste could not otherwise be recycled?

2.The proposal would discourage the reduction, re-use, recycling and/or composting of waste in the areas that would export material.

3.The decline in MSW arisings will continue into the future with targets set out within the Waste Strategy England (2007) with a 50% recycling benchmark for every local authority.

4.To burn waste to generate energy is a highly destructive practice in view of dwindling resources.  The UK already uses 2.5 planets worth of resources and burning waste must be in the top ten of reasons why this is the case.

5.The plant is not pivotal to the city’s low carbon strategy as it wastes resources, which could otherwise be recycled.  It is estimated that 97% of household waste can be recycled and Sheffield rates are some of the lowest in the country because of the will to feed this monster of an incinerator.

6.Veolia allows commercial considerations to override environmental good practice.

7.Importing waste from such huge distances increases its carbon footprint making the ERF a high carbon emitting plant.  It was originally approved as a low carbon facility.

8.Veolia could use local C&I waste if they lowered their prices so their costs were more competitive.  Much of this is landfilled, which is cheaper despite landfill tax.

9.In 2009 over 100,000 tonnes of C&I waste was sent to landfills outside Sheffield.  Some of this could have been directed to the Sheffield ERF.  Considering it is also subject to landfill tax and greater distances travelled it is questionable why Veolia can’t tender waste disposal more competitively.  If this were redirected there would be no need to import waste from a wider area.  If the only alternative were to supplement the ERFs feedstock with fossil fuels, it would make good sense to offer lower rates for C&I waste.

10.The 2001 application was granted on condition only 10% of waste was imported from outside the Sheffield Area.  What is the point in making such conditions, which are subsequently ignored when the applicant finds its profits falling?

11.The ERF is not operating at optimum efficiency when the carbon footprint of the waste is forever increasing.  To use this as an excuse to import waste from an ever-widening area is erroneous.  The truth is the ERF will not generate optimum profits if it is not working to capacity.

12.To continue to allow Veolia to extend the range it can source waste is merely feeding the idea that huge incinerators are a good idea.  It’s time to face up to the fact that the size of the Sheffield incinerator should never have been increased.  In 2001 Sheffield Friends of the Earth warned of the change in European waste legislation but Onyx chose not to listen.  ‘Of the ERF’s 225,00 tonne per annum permitted capacity, only approximately 110,000 to 115,000 tonnes of MSW and 50,000 to 55,000 tonnes of C&I waste are likely to be available year on year from within Sheffield.’  This phrase, on page 43 of the Supporting Statement, sums it all up.  A 125,000 tpa facility would have been sufficient and recycling rates would have improved due to pressure to reduce waste.

13.Transporting waste over vast distances to be burned can hardly be described as ‘a more sustainable waste management solution’.

14.Extending the catchment area will not facilitate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  These will increase due to the distance the waste has to travel to the incinerator.  Landfill causes a slower release of gases and therefore has a lower carbon footprint than incineration.  Many items currently landfilled could be recycled.

15.Using the proximity principle it would leave less of a carbon footprint to transport waste to Nottingham’s Eastcroft ERF from Newark and Sherwood, Amber Valley, Ashfield and Mansfield.  Is there capacity for this ERF, which is owned by Nottingham County Council, to take Nottinghamshire’s waste?

16. If the ERF burns less waste this will improve air quality in the centre of Sheffield due to decreased emissions.

17.The District Energy Network does not prevent over 21,000 tonnes of CO2 from being released across the city.  In fact the same tonnage of emissions is generated by the ERF.  If the city were to recycle this waste there would be no emissions and even landfill is better for emissions than incineration.

18.Failure to secure the requested variation will result in reduced plant efficiencies, potential unscheduled shut-downs and reduced outputs of electricity and District heating benefits, and use of increasing quantities of fossil fuel to augment fuel supplies.  If there is insufficient waste why not shut the ERF down in the summer when the District heating system is not needed?  Electricity generation in the summer is not nearly as efficient a process.

19.This is an attempt to make the Sheffield ERF a sub-regional facility.  It makes no sense to bring in waste from outside Sheffield to burn in its centre.  This is a city centre facility to burn Sheffield’s own waste.  Imported waste should never have been contemplated and should be opposed as not the purpose of the central siting of the ERF.

Incinerator planning application

Veolia (the operators of Sheffield's Incinerator) has applied to increase the amount of waste it imports by another 15,000 tonnes annually (bringing the total imported waste to 65,000 tpa). It is also proposed to extend the catchment area to as far as Mansfield and Newark. All Sheffield Friends of the Earth members are asked to object individually to the application to show the strength of feeling in Sheffield that objects to the incinerator and all it entails.


The letter Maureen has drafted on behalf of the group is: 
 

To: Howard Baxter  e-mail: planningapps@sheffield.gov.uk

Ref no: 12/03137/FUL

I write on behalf of Sheffield Friends of the Earth to express our objection to Veolia’s current application to vary Condition 3 of permission 01/10135/FUL.

In 2001 Sheffield Friends of the Earth warned of the forthcoming change in European waste legislation.  This would lead to much higher recycling rates and mean that within a few years there would not be enough waste to feed such a huge incinerator.  Sheffield Friends of the Earth recommended that if the incinerator was to be built the size should remain the same i.e. 125,000 tpa.  We were assured by Onyx that it would not be necessary to import huge amounts of waste and Condition 3 was written allaying our fears. Now we read ‘Of the ERF’s 225,00 tonne per annum permitted capacity, only approximately 110,000 to 115,000 tonnes of MSW and 50,000 to 55,000 tonnes of C&I waste are likely to be available year on year from within Sheffield.’  This phrase, on page 43 of the Supporting Statement shows that a 125,000 tpa facility would have been sufficient and recycling rates would have improved earlier due to pressure to reduce waste.

I will not expand on the greater value of recycling waste rather than burning it.  This is shown in the waste hierarchy.  It is possible to recycle up to 97% of household waste so clearly much of the waste reaching the incinerator could be more usefully dealt with.  The UK uses 2.5 planets worth of resources and the burning of waste must surely be one of the most decadent acts currently taking place.  Without the reuse of our resources we continue to use too much of the world’s cake.

We have the following particular points to make about this application:-

• Sheffield Friends of the Earth would like to be assured that any imported waste is truly residual and cannot be recycled.  The 2007 Waste Strategy states that waste that could be recycled should not be incinerated. 

• We would like to see Veolia attract far more local C&I waste rather than resorting to more lucrative imports.  If it priced waste disposal more attractively for C&I, there would be no need to import waste and no need for Condition 3 to be amended.  If the only alternative were to supplement feedstock with fossil fuels this would make good sense. 

• Waste should not be transported to Sheffield ERF if another ERF is nearer.  We believe Newark and Sherwood, Amber Valley, Ashfield and Mansfield are all nearer to Nottingham’s Eastcroft incinerator.  These areas should be excluded from this permission. 

Yours sincerely

Maureen Edwards

on behalf of Sheffield Friends of the Earth

Sustainable Energy - Without The Hot Air

At our August meeting, our former coordinator Steve Goodacre, gave a talk about David MacKay's new book which is called "Sustainable Energy - without the hot air". The idea behind the book is to calculate the amount of energy we use in everyday life and compare it with the amount of energy we can physically generate from renewables and other sources of energy. David doesn’t make a conclusion about the forms of energy we should use, instead he allows the reader to make their own decisions as long as the figures add up.

As different activities are calculated in different units - for example, gas uses a BTU unit, cars use MPG and electricity uses KW/h - David makes the comparisons much simpler by converting everything into a unit of KW/h consumed per person per day. This information is really useful for campaigners as it shows the different energy options available and whether they would be sufficient to power our country. Other sections include renewable energy which could be imported from foreign countries such as Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) from North Africa.

The book is available to buy for around £18 or it can be downloaded for free at: www.withouthotair.com

Dustbin of the UK

Maureen Edwards from the Sheffield FoE group joined up with campaigners from South Yorkshire Against Incineration to present the city with a golden wheelie bin to highlight how the city is becoming the “Dustbin of the UK”. At the moment the council is considering importing 75,000 tonnes of waste from  Barnsley, Doncaster and Chesterfield to feed the Sheffield incinerator which is run by Veolia.

South Yorkshire Against Incineration are calling for better waste treatment methods and better recycling facilities for items such as glass, food, drink cans and plastic bottles. Sheffield Council's planning board are expect to make a decision before the start of September.

 

Sheffield Green Groups Protest at Onyx Award 2004

Members of Sheffield Friends of the Earth, Green Party and Greenpeace protested on Wednesday 1st December at the Sheffield Business Awards held at Ponds Forge. The protest was not against the awards but the acceptance of Onyx as sponsors of the Environmental award. Sponsors should be role models and none of the groups involved believe that Onyx qualify based on their track record in managing waste in the Sheffield.

Maureen Edwards, commented, “A company whose major treatment of waste is incineration cannot call itself ‘environmentally friendly’. Environmentally friendly waste collection organisations are making weekly doorstep collections of multi-material separated waste, thereby encouraging everyone to recycle rather than dispose of their waste. Onyx is actively polluting the city centre by burning unseparated waste and plans to import more unseparated waste from surrounding areas to fuel the incinerator. This will cause further pollution of our city even if our recycling rate rises. A company like Onyx should not be sponsoring the Sheffield Environment Awards.”

Waste News - January 2004

The Household Recycling Bill has now become an act of law. This victory ensures that every home in England will have at least 2 doorstep recycling facilities by 2010.

Members of Sheffield FoE were present at the recent campaign against the building of the incinerator. This event made front page news in the Sheffield Star and the Gazette.

Maureen has commented on the Regional Waste Strategy, and as a result, changes have been made to the document.  To publicise our success, a press release was printed in the Sheffield Star.

Another press release was issued on 11 September about Sheffield becoming the rubbish dump of South Yorkshire.

News in Brief - Spring 2003

Sheffield FoE produced an article on Zero Waste for the Sheffield Star which was published on 29th May.  See above. We also organised the Working Together Working Towards Zero Waste Public Meeting held on 19th May. See the article on page 2-3 for more details or visit our web site for the full minutes.

Maureen has been very busy commenting on the Yorkshire and Humber Waste Strategy in addition to the Sheffield First Draft Environment Strategy. She has also updated us about the Door Step Recycling Bill and has written a letter to councillors about the incinerator and Mechanical Biological Treatment. On Wednesday 2nd April Maureen Edwards gave a talk on Waste and Recycling to Sheffield University 'People and Planets' group. There were between 20-30 people there.

Shaun has been working on the campaigns to stop Asda building a new supermarket on Sheffield Wednesday’s training ground. He has also been involved with the campaign to stop Tesco building a supermarket in Hillsborough.  Sheffield FoE organised a meeting on Monday 16th June for local people fighting the Asda and Tesco supermarket developments in Hillsborough. Tim Sanders from Regional FoE attended the meeting with national FoE Real Food campaigner, Sandra Bell. Another meeting has been organised to fight these developments.

Just before going to press we were informed that Tesco have decided to withdraw their planning application.

More information and campaign details have been included on our web site.

What is Zero Waste?

The article below was written by Maureen Edwards for the Sheffield Star. It was published on Thursday 29th May 2003.

I am Maureen Edwards the Sheffield Friends of the Earth Waste Co-ordinator, talking about zero waste, an ideal that we should all be working towards. In everything we do we generate waste. Zero waste does not mean that we will no longer produce waste but that this is kept to a minimum and recycled or reused. Reducing the packaging on goods and ensuring those used can be recycled is one way forward.
The old fashioned paper bags, made from a renewable source (trees), and having the advantage of being easily recycled or biodegraded, are far more environmentally friendly than plastic. Plastic packaging varies so much in content it is difficult to manufacture a quality-recycled product from the mixed materials. Carrying shopping home in bags manufactured to last several years rather than days, would also reduce the amount of waste.

Why should we be bothered about achieving zero waste? At the moment we are using up the Earth's valuable resources at an alarming rate. The careless disposal of the resulting products is also causing problems. By taking steps to recycle these materials, not only are the disposal problems solved but some resources will be left for future generations. What right do we have to fritter away these valuable materials?

Kitchen and garden waste represent about 20% of household waste and can easily be composted to produce a rich soil dressing. The household collection of such waste is problematic but several areas have successfully set up systems. The new blue bin scheme presently being rolled out across the city by ONYX to recycle paper and card, is the first step forward towards zero waste. It is to be hoped that the scheme will quickly be developed to include cans, glass, plastics, fabrics and kitchen and garden waste. Once a quality weekly doorstep recycling service has been set up, the collection of other 'residual' waste can be reduced to fortnightly. By using this system, recycling rates of about 30% can be very easily achieved.

Waste strategies should be flexible to allow for changes in legislation. Legislation can help ensure that everyone plays their part in reducing waste, so we need to be able to respond to new laws. Large scale, mass burn incinerators such as the one planned at Bernard Road, are too inflexible and long term. The mechanical biological treatment of mixed waste is far more flexible and ensures recycling of a far higher proportion of the residual waste. Although ideally recycling at source is preferable, until a high quality doorstep recycling service is available to the citizens of Sheffield, mechanical biological treatment of waste is the safest option. The incinerator may well become uneconomic to run in about 10 years due to European anti-incineration legislation.

As an individual with a wish to work towards zero waste, you will already be recycling a great deal of household waste and hopefully be able to compost kitchen and garden waste. Any large items will be disposed of through charities such as RECLAIM. You take your own bags when you go shopping and do not buy products with too much packaging. You are helping to reduce Sheffield's waste disposal bill and protecting our environment.

Working Together - Working Towards Zero Waste

This public meeting was organised by Sheffield Friends of the Earth as part of Sheffield Environment Weeks. The aim of the meeting was to seek positives ways of improving waste management in Sheffield. Representatives of National and Regional Friends of the Earth, waste management companies, and local political parties were invited to attend and speak.

Anna Watson, waste campaigner, spoke for the national organisation, Tim Sander, regional co-ordinator, spoke for Yorkshire and Humber Friends of the Earth, Bernard Little spoke for the Green Party, and Peter Lowe spoke for CPS CiVic. The meeting was also attended by Jackie Field (Council Advisor for Waste and Recycling), Cllr Terry Barrow, Rachel Wileman (Sheffield First for the Environment), Kevin Hurst (ONYX), and Mike Doherty (Sheffield City Council).

Anna Watson, National Friends of the Earth Waste Campaigner 
Nationally Friends of the Earth are calling upon local authorities to produce a strategy aspiring towards zero waste and to aim to recycle 50% of municipal waste by 2010. They should support local schemes, such as nappy washing services and composting bins, and lead by example, by reducing, reusing and recycling council waste. Friends of the Earth estimate that 80% of municipal waste is recyclable or compostable, yet in Sheffield we are currently recycling only 5% of our waste according to the latest Audit Commission data. Daventry Council recycle 44% of their waste.

Tim Sander, Yorkshire & Humber Friends of the Earth
Yorkshire & Humber is the second poorest performing region in the country for recycling – only 10% is currently recycled. The Regional Assembly has recently consulted on a draft Waste Strategy, "Let’s take it from the tip", for managing the 3.5 million tonnes of waste produced annually in the region. This strategy may be affected by the recent decision to refuse planning permission for a new incinerator in Hull. Planning permission for a new, larger incinerator at Bernard Road in Sheffield was recently granted.

Bernard Little, Sheffield Green Party
Bath has recently become the first local authority to adopt a zero waste strategy. This has involved establishing kerbside collection of paper, compost, cardboard, glass and plastics. This shows what forward-thinking local authorities are aspiring towards

The City Council’s decision to sign a contract locking themselves into a 28-year strategy dependent upon incineration means that we are starting from a very unpromising situation. Nevertheless, the Green Party is keen to begin a constructive dialogue with Sheffield City Council and calls for the Council to establish a recycling monitoring group to oversee promotion of recycling schemes.

Tim Sander, Regional FoE Speaking at the meeting

   











Peter Lowe, CPS CiVic
The CiVic system is a recent innovation the can manage either segregated or unsegregated household waste. It is already established an operating in Durham. Waste is stored in a series of vats, where a process of aerobic digestion, promoted by agitation and aeration, produces a temperature of 60-70 degrees centigrade. This results in extremely rapid composting of biodegradable waste. Recyclable material, such as metals, are then removed resulting in 60% of waste being recycled after segregation. The residual waste is landfilled.
This system won the 2002 Composting Association Award for Innovation. A model of the system was displayed in the hall to demonstrate how the system works. Interested parties were invited to visit the plant in Durham.

Comments from the audience
In response to a question regarding the opportunity to comment on the Sheffield Waste Strategy, Mike Doherty suggested that this should be done by lobbying elected Councillors.

Jackie Field commented that:
Sheffield City Council had a long way to go but were committed to waste reduction and recycling.
The recycling targets were small, but the Council should achieve and exceed these targets.
Dialogue with voluntary organisations should be improved.
This process will take time and require education of people – including Councillors and Council Officers

In response to a question regarding Daventry Council’s achievements, Anna Watson replied that this was mainly through composting and public consultation, such as using questionnaires to identify barriers to recycling. Daventry welcome visitors who wish to learn from their experience.
Signing up to prevent junk mail being delivered is a good way of preventing waste.

Terry Barrow commented that:
Voluntary groups could join the Waste Management Liaison Group of Sheffield First for the Environment
Concerned members of the public should attend Area Panels to make their views known
She opposed the use of charging for excess waste as this could lead to dumping of waste in areas where the public cannot afford to pay

Kevin Hurst expressed regret that he had not offered to speak at the meeting because he could provide many examples of how ONYX were promoting positive approaches to waste management.

Conclusion
Unfortunately the meeting ended without formal thanks being passed on to the speakers and the representatives of organisations who attended the meeting. However, Steve Goodacre, on behalf of Sheffield Friends on the Earth, was able to pass on our gratitude to these people for giving up their time.
There was a general agreement that, despite differences of opinion regarding the position that Sheffield currently finds itself in, we need to work together to gain public support and acceptance for reducing, reusing and recycling waste.

Greenpeace Not Guilty of Incinerator Damage

The three Greenpeace anti-incinerator activists who closed down the controversial Bernard Road incinerator in Sheffield last year were found not guilty on the main charge of causing £20,000 of damage to the plant by a unanimous verdict. They were found guilty on a lesser charge of £300 damage caused to a door, which will mean no prison sentences for the three when they are sentenced in Hull in three weeks’ time.

Andy Booth, from Sheffield Against Incineration said;
"The outcome of this trial is both victory and vindication for the opposition to incineration in Sheffield and across the world. The Jury were in no doubt that the incinerator was indeed committing a toxic crime in their City, and that these brave and caring individuals acted to prevent this crime from continuing, as well as alerting the people of Sheffield to the killer in their midst. We owe them a big debt of gratitude, and I hope that their victory will spur on the worldwide opposition to incineration. I can only hope that once the world has realised the amount of illness and death caused by incinerators, that we see the likes of Onyx and their Council collaborators in the dock, as the blood of innocent victims is on their hands."

Door Step Recycling – One Step Closer

Late last year 20 MPs were given the chance of each introducing a Bill to Parliament. Friends of the Earth decided to ask the MPs to adopt the Door Step Recycling Bill. If passed as a new law it would see the introduction of special bins at each home in the country for collecting different recyclable materials.

As Richard Allan Lib Dem MP for Sheffield Hallam was one of the selected twenty, several local group members wrote letters asking for his support. Richard replied to Sheffield Friends of the Earth with a positive and encouraging letter. A copy of the Richard Allan’s letter is available on our website at:
mysite.freeserve.com/sheffieldfoe

The Bill was actually introduced to Parliament by Joan Ruddock Labour MP for Lewisham Deptford so Richard Allan was able to vote for a different Bill. In January, Friends of the Earth will be doing more lobbying work to get the Bill passed as a new Law.

Door Step Recycling Facts:

A majority of 330 MPs signed EDM 186 and EDM 46 in support of doorstep recycling nation-wide
9/10 people in England and Wales would recycle if it was made easier an Environment Agency survey revealed in May this year

The expansion of recycling would provide tens of thousands of jobs, reduce demand for raw materials, cut emissions of Greenhouse gases and reduce pressure for unpopular and environmentally damaging new landfill sites and incinerators. It would also mean we could catch up with recycling levels of our European neighbours.

The Doorstep Recycling Bill, sponsored by Joan Ruddock MP, calls for local authorities to provide a doorstep recycling and composting service to every household by 2010 and for more money to provide this service. The Bill is essential to increase our recycling rate from a miserable 12% to the 50% already achieved by many European countries

It has the support of a majority of MPs, 150 local authorities and over100 organisations, including Friends of the Earth, the Community Recycling Network, Greenpeace, Help the Aged and Unison. The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit published its review of the current waste strategy in November 2002. The review provides a welcome boost to waste minimisation and recycling but it fails on several accounts:            

1. It does not put a brake on the building of massive incinerator
2. It does not provide enough money for recycling.
3. It does not set a statutory target of 50% recycling by 2010

April 2003 - Campaign News

Sheffield FoE joined other environmental and anti-war groups on Saturday 14th December to protest outside the Esso Petrol station on Penistone Road, Hillsborough. The campaign to boycott Esso is due to their reluctance to reduce greenhouse gasses and their desire to obtain Iraq’s oil supplies. 

Sheffield Friends of the Earth activists have been taking to the small screen to promote our cause (and our ego’s, of course). Liddy Goyder starred on Look North last September, cycling from Crookesmoor to the City Hall as part of the Pedal Pushers Commuter challenge. She helped to prove that two wheels beat four (almost) every time and that cycling is for civilised women, not just men in lycra.

On Sunday 15th December, Maureen from the local group appeared on the ITV1 national political program, Jonathan Dimbleby to debate why the government's decision to widen the M1 motorway near Chesterfield was a waste of money and why it would create more congestion.

On Tuesday 17th December several very dedicated local and national FoE campaigners protested outside Sheffield’s Train Station from 7.30 am until 9.30 am to raise awareness of the regional rail franchise issues and  to campaign for a better rail system. See the main article on page 2 for more details.

Just before Christmas, four local group members organised a FoE stall at the Sheffield Peace Fair to raise awareness of the group and our campaigns and to raise some money.

Members of Sheffield FoE have taken action to help get the Doorstep Recycling Bill into parliament. Read more about this on page 2.

Greenpeace activists were cleared of damaging the Sheffield Incinerator.

On Thursday 28 November, around 30 members of Sheffield FoE, Greenpeace, Sheffield Green Party and RABID protested outside the Business Awards as Onyx were presenting an award for the environment.

Local Group members have replied to the City Centre and M1 Air quality questionnaires.

More information and campaign details have been included on our web site.

Waste Training Day

A dull November morning saw a Sheffield Friends of the Earth member make her way to Birmingham to receive up to the minute information about waste disposal.

The initial address was about International and European legislation and its bearing on the situation in U.K.  The Earth Summit included a paragraph (Point 22) about waste, to the effect that Governments should act to develop systems to prevent, minimise, reuse and recycle waste.  Environmentally sound disposal facilities should be used but unfortunately this, according to the agreement, includes technology to recapture the energy contained in waste.  The production of reusable consumer goods and biodegradable products is to be encouraged.

The main piece of legislation affecting U.K. policy at the moment is the European Union Landfill Directive the gist of which is that by 2020, 66% of biodegradable waste (garden, food and paper waste etc) should not be taken to landfill sites.  Instead it should be composted rather than incinerated.  This means that nearly all local authorities will have to have separate biodegradable waste collections by 2010. 

The East Midlands Waste Strategy plans to incinerate 50% of household waste and use all the resulting bottom ash to make construction materials.  This is not good news as it is assuming that only 50% of the rest of waste will be recycled.  Incineration contracts tie Local Authorities to providing waste to burn for 20 or more years. 

Friends of the Earth is certain higher recycling targets can be achieved:- 50% by 2010 and 75% by 2015.  Daventry in Northamptonshire already achieves almost 50%.  The first step to increasing recycling rates is to provide a doorstep recycling service.  Friends of the Earth are currently trying to get the Doorstep Recycling Bill through parliament.  This will make it compulsory for all Local Authorities to provide a recycling bin as well as the ordinary waste bin.  Reducing the size of the ordinary bin also reduces the amount of unrecycled (i.e. residual) waste.  Once all these services are in place, charging for residual waste can begin, which further increases recycling rates.  Friends of the Earth recommends that the remaining residual waste should undergo mechanical biological treatment (MBT).  This process separates recyclable materials mechanically and puts the mixed waste containing biodegradable material through a composting process to produce a stabilised material.  This can then be landfilled.  Local Authorities should find MBT an attractive technology as it is a small scale process that is cheaper than pyrolysis.

As items are manufactured more carefully with recycling in mind, the amount of waste needing to be landfilled will approach zero.  For a sustainable future all Regional Waste Strategies should be aspiring to ‘zero waste’.

More information about the Waste Campaign can be found on the Friends of the Earth website at www.foe.co.uk

Update – Campaign against the Incinerator

The planning application for a replacement incinerator at Bernard Road, submitted by ONYX - the multinational company responsible for managing Sheffield’s waste, is currently reaching a crucial stage.  On Friday 6th September the council report into the application will be made available. It can be downloaded from www.sheffield.gov.uk. Hard copies will be available at Howden House, Park Library, City Centre Reference Library, and First Stop, Town Hall.

Written objections can be made up to 16th September, to-
Les Sturch, Head of Planning Division, Howden House, 1 Union Street, Sheffield, S1 2SH.

On Monday 23rd September the planning board will meet to make a decision on the application. Members of the public can attend and speak for up to five minutes at this meeting. If you want to speak at the meeting, contact Les Sturch, in writing, before 16th September.

Sheffield Friends of the Earth will be represented at the planning meeting by Maureen Edwards. After the meeting we will be joining with other anti-incinerator campaigners to plan the next steps.

Sheffield Near Bottom of Recycling League

New Government figures on waste recycling put Sheffield City Council in 322nd place, out of 371 local authorities in the UK, with a recycling rate of only 4.4%. At the top of the table, Daventry Council are recycling 42% of their waste.

The UK league table is hardly the premier league of recycling. Overall in the UK we only recycle 12% of waste. This compares very badly to other European countries, such as Switzerland and Austria.

In 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio, world leaders pledged to reduce waste and introduce schemes to improve recycling. Ten years on, world leaders are meeting again in Johannesburg. Reducing the amount of waste we produce is one of the many important issues they will be discussing. Embarrassingly, the recent figures show that the UK has increased the amount of waste it produces over the last ten years.

Responsibility for increasing the rate of waste recycling lies with local authorities. Sheffield City Council are currently considering an application from the waste company ONYX to build a new incinerator at Bernard Road. FoE believe that this new incinerator, if built, would remove any incentive for the City Council to improve its appalling record on recycling.

FoE are calling for a new law that would make recycling as straightforward as putting out the rubbish, by requiring every single home to have a doorstep recycling service.

Steve Goodacre, from Sheffield FoE, made the following points to Council spokesman, Mike Doherty, live on BBC Radio Sheffield:

"Building a new incinerator at Bernard Road will remove any incentive to improve our poor recycling record Sheffield City Council should introduce a quality doorstep recycling service to all households in Sheffield. Incineration is not an alternative to landfill. Toxic incinerator fly ash is currently being dumped at the Parkwood landfill site."

FoE and Greenpeace have offered to develop a “Zero Waste” strategy for Sheffield, provided the planning application for the new incinerator is rejected

For more details see:
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/wastats/mwb0001/download/xlsdata/annexb.xls

Incineration Campaign Hots up

Sheffield has put up with the Bernard Road rubbish incinerator for the past 27 years despite its appalling pollution record and incredible cost. In 1998 Sheffield Council wasted £28 million pounds trying to upgrade the incinerator. They have now given up and announced its closure in 2005. Unfortunately, the Council seem determined to make the same mistake again and are planning, along with the French multinational Onyx, to build a new rubbish burner in Sheffield.

The proposal for the new incinerator has gone to the Council’s planning committee, but we can still stop it if we can encourage the people of Sheffield to lobby the Lib-Dem Council.

We would like to distribute “Recycling not Incineration” leaflets to as many homes as possible in the Sheffield area. Many FoE members and other environmental groups  have already been targeting key areas with the leaflets.

Are you interested in getting involved with this campaign? A nice easy thing
you can do is to get involved with some of the leafleting in the key wards or you could just leaflet your own street. If you would like to help either contact Sheffield FoE or Jeff Rice by email:
Jeffrice101@hotmail.com

Posters
No Incineration posters have started going up around Sheffield! They are A3, hardboard backed and read 'THE LIB DEMS WANT TO POISON SHEFFIELD FOR ANOTHER 30 YEARS WITH A NEW INCINERATOR. DON'T LET THEM!' So far they have been cable tied to various posts on roads, usually where traffic tends to queue. Also, there are some nice A3 posters just out with pictures of the incinerator and Peter Moore. If you'd like some to put up in your area, or anywhere (the key Liberal Democrat wards would be good) let Jeff Rice know using the contact details below.

Jeffrice101@hotmail.com

Poster Content

PUBLIC MEETING

SHEFFIELD FRIENDS OF THE EARTH PRESENTS:

DOES SHEFFIELD NEED A NEW INCINERATOR?


On Thursday April the 25th Sheffield Friends of the Earth are hosting a public meeting to clarify the issues surrounding incineration.

Speakers have been invited from national Greenpeace, national Friends of the Earth, the Council, ONYX and the local campaign group against the proposed new incinerator. There may also be additional speakers from the political parties.

Each guest will have approximately 15 minutes to express their view on the issue. The guests will also debate the issues extensively. Questions will also be taken from the audience.

Come along and find out once and for all what the truth is.

The meeting is to be held at The Central United Reform Church on Norfolk Street (opposite the Crucible stage door) between 7 and 9pm.

For more details phone 278 6556.