'Dr Toxic' leads incinerator protest (From Croydon Guardian)

Campaigners against the Beddington ERF marched on Viridor's head office

8:31am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By Mike Pyle

Protesters staged a 'die-in' at the head offices of a company which wants to build an incinerator for the area's rubbish.
 

Members of campaign group Stop the Incinerator marched on waste management company Viridor's head office in Kent to chant their message - air pollution is not the solution - on Friday.
 

The group handed in a letter outlining their objections to Viridor's plans to build an Energy Recovery facility, which would incinerate rubbish from Croydon, Sutton, Kingston and Merton, on the landfill site in Beddington Lane, Beddington.
 

To reinforce their message the group, led by a member dressed as 'Dr Toxic', pretended to die on the steps of the company's offices.
Stop the Incinerator spokesman Shasha Khan said: "It was very effective. I think we were very eye-catching.
 

"People in the building could see us and most of the time they just closed the blinds but we could see people staring at us."
Viridor has been contracted to dispose of rubbish which would be sent to landfill on behalf of the South London Waste Partnership, made up of Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston Councils.
 

It intends to do this by building the ERF on the current landfill site. The facility would burn rubbish and convert it into energy and heat for the surrounding area without significantly increasing pollution in the area, Viridor claims.
 

The protesters do not believe the claims and opposes the plans.
 

A spokesman for Viridor said: ""Energy Recovery Facilities, such as the one proposed at Beddington, provide a modern, robust and cost-effective solution for the residual waste produced by households and businesses.

"They are safe and proven; a view that is supported by the UK’s Health Protection Agency. The health and safety of those living close to our sites, including many of our employees that work at similar facilities and live nearby, is of paramount importance to Viridor. It would be wrong to suggest that their health is at risk."
 

Viridor has submitted a planning application to Sutton Council, which aims to decide on the plans in April.