Published

08 Feb 2022

Written by

Janek Vähk

Register now – “The toxic toll of waste incineration: measuring health and environmental impacts” online event on 3 March 2022

Climate, Energy & Air PollutionWaste Policy

The EU regulation of emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by waste incineration is limited to measure only a few chlorinated dioxins and furans.

Our “The toxic toll of waste incineration: measuring health and environmental impacts” webinar on 3 March 2022 at 14:00-15:30 CET will discuss whether the current monitoring of “forever chemicals” is fit for purpose; and whether other chemicals, such as brominated dioxins and PFAS, should be included. It reflects the growing public awareness and concerns over the potentially toxic effects of POPs on human health and the environment. In particular, people living near waste incinerators need to be reassured about their health risks; about the safety of such combustion facilities; and about compliance with the EU regulation – not only under normal operating conditions, but also in other than normal operating conditions, such as start-ups, shut-downs, and periods of abnormal operation.

This online event will also provide an opportunity for an open debate on the need to improve the legislation to assess the real impact of waste incineration on human health and the environment. It will also unpack the actions that could be taken, among others by the policy-makers, to limit incineration in line with the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan.

It will bring together key experts and EU actors for a meaningful discussion, including:

  • Maria Soraya Rodriguez, MEP
  • Abel Arkenbout, Head of Research at ToxicoWatch Foundation
  • Benoît Zerger – Team Leader for Industrial Emissions, C4 Unit on Industrial Emissions & Safety, DG ENV, European Commission
  • Vasileios Rizos – Head of Sustainable Resources and Circular Economy at CEPS
  • Peter Gebhardt – Executive Director at Ingenieurbüro für Umweltschutztechik
  • Ann Ballinger – Principal Consultant at Eunomia
  • Mariel Vilella – Global Climate Programme Director at GAIA (moderator)

 

“The toxic toll of waste incineration: measuring health and environmental impacts” is organised and hosted by Zero Waste Europe in collaboration with Martin Hojsík, MEP.

Register HERE by 2 March 2022.