By Barry Healy

SYDNEY -- In a major victory for local residents Waterloo incinerator will close on November 23. The announcement brings to a close 31 years of controversy about the plant.

Waverley and Woollahra councils, the incinerators owners, made the decision after a damning NSW Environment Protection Authority report showed that the facility was operating in serious breach of international pollution standards. It exceeded the US EPA limits for dioxin/furan emissions from new plants by up to 864 times and the German standard by up to 166 times. It also violated standards for heavy metal emissions, particularly for cadmium and mercury.

Ann Brown, president of the Zetland Community Action Group, told Green Left that she was happy that a date for closure has finally been set. "However, we are concerned about the EPAs late acceptance of the health risk of the incinerator, a risk we have been drawing to their attention for years", she said.

The incinerator closure means that approximately 120,000 tonnes more waste per year must go to land fill, contributing to Sydney's waste crisis. Environmentally sustainable waste recycling and minimisation strategies were identified in last year's Eastern Suburbs Waste Management inquiry, but no plans have been developed. Environment minister, Pam Allan, has directed councils to dispose of their waste in their own regions. This has produced immediate protests from North Shore councils.

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