MIKE HEDGES AM CALLS ON WELSH GOVERNMENT TO BAN NEW INCINERATORS FOR NON MEDICAL WASTE

MIKE HEDGES AM CALLS ON WELSH GOVERNMENT TO BAN NEW INCINERATORS FOR NON MEDICAL WASTE

Speaking after the Plenary session at the Assembly, Swansea East AM, Mike Hedges said… ‘I live in an area with high asthma rates and high rates of other respiratory diseases. Some of the schools in my constituency have the highest incidents of childhood asthma in Swansea and the figures are rising all of the time. Improving air quality ought to be a no brainer; one way to do this would be to ban any development of new incinerator facilities, especially ones which burn plastic, building waste and unpleasant products. Science changes, and if we discover in future years that PM2.5s and PM10s cause more damage than we now realise, it will be too late for the health of people with respiratory diseases, better to stop the development of incinerators now.’

16:40

Mike Hedges AM 16:40:19

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I welcome the statement. One of the problems we have is that PM2.5s and PM10s cannot be seen, but they do damage to lungs by irritating and corroding the alveolar wall and, consequently, impair lung function. We need clean air. Will the Minister, in conjunction with ministerial colleagues, consider the following: banning new incinerators except for medical incinerators to deal with pathogens; produce plans to reduce air pollution in areas such as Hafod and Fabian Way in Swansea, where it is not the speed limit but the slow-moving and stationary vehicles that are causing the problem; and, finally, banning the burning of waste by individuals in their gardens, which often includes plastics and other items that do serious damage to the air? 295

Lesley Griffiths AM 16:41:04

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I’m certainly very happy to have those discussions with a range of ministerial colleagues. Clearly, air quality is a matter across Government, and it’s certainly discussed in Cabinet. But I will look at all those issues and write to you further