Newsletter - Winter 2010-11
Contents of this edition:
Prosiect Gwyrdd - Re-use, Recycle and Roast?
There are major changes ahead for the way that Monmouthshire’s household waste is disposed of. At the moment, our domestic waste that is not recycled or composted (residual waste), is taken to be landfilled at Bishop’s Cleeve in Gloucestershire. Burying our waste is no longer considered to be the best option, and is positively discouraged by the rising cost of landfill tax.
Monmouthshire County Council, has got together with Caerphilly, Newport, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to find a regional solution to these problems with Prosiect Gwyrdd (Green Project). From the start, despite professing to be ‘technology neutral’, the most likely solution to be supported with funding from the Welsh Assembly Government has been a large ‘energy from waste’ incinerator – which environmental groups like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace say is far from being ‘green’.
Prosiect Gwyrdd has been developing for several years, and has reached the stage of shortlisting four possible solutions. All of them involve energy from waste, or incineration. The four shortlisted solutions are as follows: 1. Covanta Energy Ltd proposes an energy from waste facility at Merthyr Tydfil 2. Veolia ES Aurora proposes an energy recovery facility at Llanwern, Newport 3. Viridor Waste Management proposes an energy from waste facility at Cardiff 4. Waste Recycling Group Ltd proposes an energy from waste facility at Solutia, Newport or Barry.
Friends of the Earth Groups in the region are working together to challenge the Prosiect Gwyrdd strategy. Friends of the Earth Cymru campaigner Haf Elgar said “Incineration hits recycling rates, produces hazardous waste, and large plants demanding waste from across the region mean hundreds more lorries on the roads every day. And in these changing times, councils signing up to 25 year contracts of producing waste is just bad business sense. There is much the Assembly Government can do to help councils with their waste management. But sponsoring these polluting monsters should be no part of it."
All three of the Monmouthshire Friends of the Earth Groups are campaigning on this, and have investigated and put forward viable alternatives to incineration. They argue that the capacity of the proposed energy from waste plants would exceed Welsh waste production threefold within ten years. As incinerator contracts usually commit local authorities to supplying a minimum amount of waste per year, this could lead to less effort being spent on maximising recycling and result in materials that could be recycled being sent for incineration. Hungry for waste, the facility could seek to attract residual waste from outside Wales or even from Europe.
The FOE groups object to the use of the term ‘energy from waste’ plants for incinerators. The term might suggest that incineration is the best way of recovering energy from waste. This is far from being the case. Energy from waste can be delivered from all other residual waste technologies and most efficiently by the maximisation of re-use and recycling. Incinerators themselves are far from efficient producers of ‘energy from waste’. The EU has ruled that they should achieve 0.65 efficiency to qualify as energy recovery at all. Only a tiny handful of UK incinerators have managed to achieve this. Regrettably, it appears that Welsh Assembly Government will further smooth the path for incinerator-building companies by not requiring that this 0.65 efficiency level is reached.
Incinerators are huge carbon emitters. The companies building them argue that their emissions are offset by the energy they produce, thus they are avoiding the burning of fossil fuels. FOE say that this is a spurious justification at a time of increasing concern over climate change. Incinerator greenhouse gas emissions will, in any case, not be ‘offset’ unless 0.65 efficiency is achieved. Moreover, since the Welsh Assembly Government has set a target of 100% electricity generation from renewables by 2025, it is evident that during the span of their 25-year contracts, incinerators will increasingly be ‘replacing’ renewable sources not fossil fuels.
Finally, there are the toxic products of incineration. Much of incinerator bottom ash – containing toxic substances - would be landfilled. Highly toxic flue ash would have to be taken to a hazardous waste facility such as that at Bishop’s Cleeve – where there is already concern about health risks from dust spreading (despite denials from the Environment Agency) beyond the perimeter of the site. A more serious health risk comes from air emissions from the incinerators themselves. Ultrafine particles escape the incinerator’s pollution abatement equipment and there are well documented, increased incidences of a number of illnesses downwind of these types of plants. While the Health Protection and Environment Agency continue to claim no significant human danger, they have failed to provide viable evidence to substantiate this claim.
The incineration approach to dealing with residual household waste is set against the backdrop of Wales’s One Wales:One Planet sustainable development scheme. In it the amount of waste we create, and the way that it is disposed of is recognised as an important indicator of our own sustainability as a nation. There is a target to achieve zero waste by 2050, but to achieve this we need to revolutionise packaging and waste production, increase re-use and recycling, and get more value from the increasingly small proportion of waste that cannot be recycled or composted. It is how we go about doing this that remains to be debated properly and with an open mind.
Transition Chepstow Gives It Away Again
Instead of throwing away unwanted possessions why not offer them to others? This is the basis for events that Transition Chepstow are organising in May and September; one opposite Bulwark shops, the other in the grounds of Chepstow School.
The Give It Away, Take It Away events enable people to bring along goods that are still useful but no longer needed so that others can make use of them. No money changes hands; if you can use it you simply take it.
The events are organised by Transition Chepstow and ComBAT with support from the Welsh Assembly Government, Keep Wales Tidy and Monmouthshire County Council. The small number of goods left at the end of the day are taken by the charities Tools for Self-Reliance and Homemakers of Abergavenny.
Janet Rawlings of Transition Chepstow said, 'Most of us have heard of the three 'R's of waste - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle - but we tend to focus on recycling and overlook re-use which is even better for the environment. We would like to encourage everyone to come along to our next event on the 22nd May in the Severn Bridge Social Club Car Park, Bulwark.'
For more information about Transition Chepstow and these events, visit http://www.transitionchepstow.org.uk/
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Monmouth Fairtrade Fashion Show
Monmouth Fairtrade Forum will be celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight with a Fairtrade Fashion Show at 6.30pm on March 9th at Monmouth Priory as part of the Monmouth Women's Festival (tickets from Monmouth Museum) and a Coffee Morning at Monmouth Priory on Saturday March 12th.
The Fashion Show will feature garments from Bishopston Trading who have blazed a trail in Fairtrade clothing for many years. Bishopston Trading produce a range of cotton clothing, from fabrics made in India, for all ages. The company was set up in 1978 by the Bristol Twinning Group, who received a letter from their partner group in Kuppam India, thanking them for their support, but saying that as skilled craftspeople the villagers wanted work rather than charity. The partnership now employs 90 handloom weavers and 200 tailors, as well as other craftspeople. Bishopston provides the design and marketing skills and forward payments which are used to invest in tools, equipment, buildings and social projects. To find out more about Bishopston, visit the Monmouth Fairtrade Forum GreenWeb page. Back to top
Wye Valley AONB celebrates 40 years
In 1971 Edward Heath was PM, decimalisation came in and free school milk went out. We wore hot pants, platform shoes and T shirts and bounced on space hoppers. Britain launched its first and only satellite Prospero, Greenpeace was born and the video recorder was launched.
In the midst of these iconic events the Wye Valley was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and forty years on, the Wye Valley AONB unit is planning four events to mark this special year. It will also be celebrating the finish of the Heritage Lottery Funded partnership project Overlooking the Wye which will mark the successful culmination of work on forty sites throughout the Wye Valley and will reflect its four themes of hidden industry, viewpoints, river connections and hill forts.
The first event is a Hands on History event at Old Station, Tintern, on Sunday April 17 which will have exhibitions and demonstrations about metalworking industry of the area in the 16th century. This will be followed by a look at the Iron Age and Roman occupation with Iron Age Rampage at the Iron Age hillfort, Symonds Yat Rock on Sunday, May 22.
The third event On the Way to the Wye is a Georgian Celebration planned for Ross on Wye on Saturday, June 18 which will feature an historical procession through the town with notable Georgian celebrities such as John Kyrle, Coleridge and Nelson, led by local historian and author Heather Hurley. They will progress down to the River Wye where Nelson's trip down the Wye in 1802 will be re-enacted. A Georgian jamboree will be held on Ross Riverside with re-enactors demonstrating various aspects of Georgian life, featuring musket and sword demonstrations by the Worcester Yeomanry and Cavalry, 18th century highwaymen, vagabonds and thief takers from The Rose and Thistle, Georgian rope making and boat building, plus a look at Georgian costume, food, wine and music. Children will be entertained by Punch and Judy, face painting and a variety of games. There are also plans for a charity sedan race with teams from local organisations taking part.
The final event will be a Medieval Mayhem event at Chepstow Castle in September tying in with the European Heritage Open Doors Project featuring medieval re-enactments. All events are free and will be a great family day out.
To find out further information please log onto the website www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk or contact information officer Nikki Moore by emailing information@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk or phoning 01600 710846.
This year the walkers even spotted a headless woman wandering back and forth the track, though no-one knew what she was searching for. At the entrance to the tunnel members of the Usk Conservation and Environmental Group dressed up as witches, boiling up pretend limb parts in their cauldron. In the tunnel various ‘monsters’ jumped out and screamed at walkers as they passed by. The participants then retired to Usk British Legion Club to recover their nerves, where a party was organised for the children, and judges awarded prizes for the best dressed ‘monster’. Secretary Graham Harris said that last year approximately 200 parents and children took part, most of them in costume. It was an excellent turn out and everyone thoroughly enjoyed scaring themselves!
UK wild bird numbers continue to fall
Government figures show worrying declines in populations of wild birds of woodland and agricultural land. Farmland birds are now half those of 40 years ago. It is thought that habitat changes have led to a reduction in nesting sites and food availability. The reasons for a sharp decline in woodland birds are less clear.
Some farmland birds such as grey partridge, turtle dove, lapwing, starling, tree sparrow, yellow wagtail and corn bunting have declined by as much as 70%. Meanwhile wood pigeon and jackdaw populations have doubled, and stock dove and greenfinch have risen by 50%. The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust is being licensed to undertake experimental culls of predatory birds such as magpies and crows to find out if this is part of the reason behind farmland bird declines.
Among woodland birds, a subject we reported on in a previous edition of this newsletter, huge falls have been recorded for some species including wood warbler, willow tit, tree pipit, lesser spotted woodpecker, blackbird, dunnock, song thrush and tawny owl among others. Species doing well include greater spotted woodpecker, black cap, green woodpecker, nuthatch, and long-tailed tit.
The RSPB believes that farmers need to be better rewarded for managing land in a wildlife friendly way. The RSPB Cymru celebrates 100 years of protecting birds in Wales during 2011, and as well as holding centenary events through the year, have created a set of special lapel badges celebrating iconic Welsh birds and animals. They have also made 600 limited edition golden curlew badges, representing the fact that there are now just 600 pairs of this wading bird left breeding in Wales. The curlew was once quite common, associated with wet meadows and uplands, and recognisable by its haunting, burbling springtime call. The gold badges will be awarded to people who raise or donate a minimum of £50 for RSPB Cymru. To find out more about raising money for RSPB Cymru email cymru@rspb.org.uk
Tidenham Landshare
Transition Chepstow is delighted to announce the forthcoming ‘Tidenham Landshare Project’. With the generous support of land owner Lyndon Edwards, local residents are being offered loaned plots of land to grow their own fruit and vegetables in return for either sharing their excess produce with Lyndon or paying a small annual rental fee.
The site is 1 mile north of Tidenham, neighbouring the Hanley Trading complex, immediately accessible from the A48. Growers will be required to sign a ‘growing agreement’ with the land owner, Lyndon Edwards. To express an interest in having a plot, please visit http://www.transitionchepstow.org.uk/groups/food/
Improved trains and buses for Chepstow
New renewable energy scheme for Village Halls
In April 2010 the Government introduced a Feed-In Tariff to make the installation of renewable energy technologies financially attractive. Most grants for renewable energy were withdrawn at the same time.
The Feed-In Tariff (FiT) is available for householders, businesses or community groups. With many community buildings looking for help in meeting costs, the installation of renewable energy technologies can be well worth investigating.
Gwent Energy Community Interest Company is a not for profit company established to promote and encourage the take up of low carbon energy technologies locally. They can help with the administration of community energy projects, and have developed some expertise in this.
Gwent Energy CIC has established a project to work with village hall committees in Monmouthshire to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on village hall roofs. This technology is now tried and tested and is quick and easy to install. The Feed-In Tariff provides an income from the electricity generated and is guaranteed for a period of 25 years as well as being inflation linked. The compounding effect over a 25 year period from a 4KW system will provide about £70,000 total income that can be used for maintenance costs, to extend services or refurbishment.
The cost of a 4 kilowatt system (see photo) is around £13-14000, but 10% of this cost would be regained through the FiT over the first year, and the cost of daytime electricity would be free. The capital cost could be met through local community loans, and/or financed through a loan which Gwent Energy CIC or Robert Owen Community Banking Fund Ltd can administer. Monmouthshire County Council will also be introducing a loan scheme for community groups undertaking renewable energy projects.
Most hall roofs can take up to 10 KW systems for an even better income. To take advantage of the summer sunshine installation is best done in spring, and certainly before 2012 when the Feed-In Tariff will be reduced from its current attractive rate
To find out more information about this scheme contact Phil Powell at Gwent Energy CIC 01291 629936 (07506004581) or email ppo98@aol.com. For a free no obligation quotation, contact Beverley Thomas at Solarsense who are a reliable PV installer 07817367590 or 07792992812 or email beverley@bthomas32.fsnet.co.uk
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