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Greenpeace protest at Chineham efw plant ended

Greenpeace’s occupation of the Onyx energy-from-waste construction site near Basingstoke ended this morning after bailiffs with climbing gear removed the last five activists from a cargo net suspended from the roof of the building, the pressure group said in a statement.

But activists are stepping up pressure on incineration with the launch of an umbrella group called the Zero Waste Alliance.

Around 100 protesters invaded the site on Monday as part of an international day of action against waste incineration. Seven activists were arrested yesterday.

Greenpeace said that bailiffs climbed onto the roof of the building and used bolt-cutters to remove protesters from the structure and ropes to lower them the 100 feet to the ground.

Its waste campaigner Mark Strutt said: “The authorities may be able to physically remove us from incinerator sites but they can't stop the wave of public opposition to these poisonous plants.”

The Zero Waste Alliance was formally launched yesterday at a parliamentary lobby sponsored by Liberal Democrat waste spokesperson Sue Doughty.

Members include Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Socialist Environment and Resources Association.

A statement by FoE argued that incinerators emit smoke, gases and toxic ash that can contain harmful dioxins, and that the plants create a demand for a long-term supply of waste, which gives a disincentive to recycling.

It called on the Government to rule out the building of new mass-burn incinerators, and to increase the UK domestic waste recycling target to at least 50 per cent by 2010.

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