The burning question
Waste incineration and recycling are releasing large amounts of dioxin, a dangerous carcinogen, says a review of studies in the past three years conducted by AEA Technology of Harwell, Oxfordshire, at the behest of the Environment Agency, UK. These alternatives are deemed by many as an important way to conserve the environment. The review says that between 2,500 and 13,000 grams of dioxin are released into the environment in the UK every year. Of this, 10 to 40 per cent goes into the air, while the rest remains in the soil. A 1991 directive on waste management by the European Union has encouraged local communities to build incinerators as an "environmentally-friendly' alternative to landfill. Incineration reduces the quantity of wastes significantly, but burning of certain materials such as polyvinyl chloride releases dioxin (New Scientist , Vol 156, No 2102).
Related Content
- Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding solid waste dumping site, Darjeeling municipality, West Bengal, 18/03/2024
- Judgment of the National Green Tribunal regarding encroachment of land, Saket, Delhi, 20/12/2023
- Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding dumping of coal in huge quantities in the vicinity of residential area at Krishnashila railway siding, Bina, district Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, 02/04/2023
- Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding violation of environmental norms by SML Films Industries, Ichchapore, GIDC, Surat, Gujarat, 09/05/2022
- Final report by PPCB on management of scrap at Mandi Gobindgarh, district Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, 01/04/2021
- Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding Santragachi Jheel, Howrah, West Bengal, 01/06/2020