York and Durham residents are being forced to accept polluting and CO2 intensive garbage incinerators because of the McGuinty government’s failure to address waste diversion in Ontario, said NDP Environment Critic Peter Tabuns.

At meetings Wednesday evening, both Durham and York regions voted to move ahead with the construction of a $150 million so-called “energy-from-waste” garbage incinerator on a site in Clarington.

“Instead of helping municipalities make sound environmental investments in recycling, composting facilities and introducing extended producer responsibility, the McGuinty government has focused on fast-tracking new garbage incinerators,” said Tabuns.

“Given our need to address climate change, the McGuinty government’s support for garbage incineration is bad news for the local area and bad news for the planet,” said Tabuns. “Per kilowatt hour produced, combustion or mass-burn technology contributes about 33% more greenhouse gases than coal-fired technology, while gasification emits 90% more greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.

“Instead of listening to the ‘energy-from-waste’ lobby, Dalton McGuinty needs to stand-up for the environment and human health and immediately stop the Durham-York incinerator, then put in place a provincial waste management strategy, complete with the funding for municipalities to make it happen,” said Tabuns.