“The huge fire in South Auckland illustrates the serious human health risks of incinerating flock, the residual material left over from the scrap metal process. It is one reason we will be opposing the building of a waste incinerator in Te Awamutu that would burn 17,529 tonnes of flock* a year,” said Dorte Wray, General Manager of the Zero Waste Network.

Firefighters battled the Favona blaze through the night after 14 trucks fought to manage the fire. Residents had to close their windows to avoid the toxic smoke and fumes, and people as far as 19km away in Maraetai reported smelling smoke like burning plastic. Nearby businesses were forced to stop work due to toxic smoke.

“The Te Awamutu incinerator would create dioxins that would otherwise not exist, and expose the immediate community to continual doses of highly toxic carcinogenic emissions from the flock, tyres and plastics that they plan to burn. With houses and schools next door to the site, it is a potentially deadly catastrophe.”

“While the incinerator would have air pollution control devices and limits on allowable emissions, overseas evidence shows that these are routinely breached by incinerators. In February in South Florida, an incinerator site burned for more than a week with over 200 firefighters in attendance trying to contain the blaze estimated to be several acres in size.”

“Volunteer firefighters in places like Te Awamutu simply do not have the resources for a risky project like this, and the community certainly should not be exposed to dangerous toxins for the benefit of a private company trucking in waste from around the North Island. This is on top of a myriad of other reasons why incineration is not a solution.”

*Flock is generally composed of:

• 10% ferrous metals;

• 2% non-ferrous metals;

• 10% fibres and foam with high calorific value;

• 5% rubber;

• 13% plastics;

• 3% glass; and

• 57% dirt and other fines.

For coverage of the South Florida incinerator fire see: https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/huge-three-alarm-blaze-at-doral-recyclable-energy-plant-under-investigation/