Sludge Watch ==> Lafarge plans to burn tires opposed in Nova Scotia - making toxic 'fertilizer'?

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

This is interesting.  Lafarge in Brookfield Nova Scotia burns used oil 
already...and therefore its cement kiln dust is contaminated with Thallium.  
  But Lafarge, which once protested its cement kiln dust was too 
contaminated to provide to farmers, came to an agreement with N-Viro to mix 
the sludge with its cement kiln dust.  No wonder Nova Scotia farmers don't 
want the stuff.

Once they start burning tires their sludge/cement dust 'fertilizer' will be 
even more contaminated than ever.

Who is talking about that?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Heated response to tire burning
18 January 2007

TRURO — Bullhorn, gas mask, balaclava — Louisa Sorflaten was all decked out 
Wednesday for a noisy parade and protest in Truro to oppose tire burning.

She and 20 other protesters dressed warmly for frigid temperatures and also 
wore toy truck tires around their necks as accessories.

"They symbolize having an albatross around your neck . . . these tires are 
weighing us down," said the University of Guelph student whose parents live 
near a Colchester County cement plant that wants to burn the province's used 
tires.

"To the Nova Scotia government," Ms. Sorflaten shouted into her bullhorn, 
"we are as citizens very concerned about your proposal to burn one million 
tires as a so-called alternative fuel source at the Lafarge cement plant. 
"Burning tires are toxic. It's bad for the environment, it's bad for our 
health."

Her amplified voice resounded in the parking lot outside the office of the 
Resource Recovery Fund Board, which is assessing three proposals to either 
recycle or burn the province's used tires.

Protesters in a dozen cars honked their horns as they set out on a 
police-escorted parade through town. Then they filled the foyer of the 
board's building where they made their pleas and gave a petition with 833 
names to Jerome Paris, operations manager for the board.

Mr. Paris wouldn't comment except to assure people a final decision has not 
been made, despite accusations by protesters that Lafarge North America's 
cement plant in Pleasant Valley has already been selected.

Wednesday's protest was one in a series of public events that Citizens 
Against Burning of Tires has planned, the next being a public meeting at 7 
p.m. Friday at the Marigold Cultural Centre in Truro.

Lafarge is holding its own series of open houses to discuss the proposal, 
the first on Feb. 8 at the Knox United Church hall in Brookfield.

Chris Richards, environment and alternative fuels manager for Lafarge, 
stated in a recent letter to the media that "using tires as fuel is a safe, 
proven technology used worldwide."

Mr. Richards said studies by governments, independent researchers and 
Lafarge have found no significant difference in emissions whether a cement 
plant is using coal or a coal-tire combination to fuel its kilns.

"There are more than 60 cement plants using tires as fuel in the United 
States, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Japan. 
Lafarge operates 21 of these plants," he wrote.

The company's plan is to use 2,400 tires a day, injecting one at a time into 
its kiln on each revolution of the kiln.

"There will be no black smoke and there will be no smell," Mr. Richards 
wrote.

The citizens group isn't convinced and vows to keep pressure on the 
government and the board to reject the proposal and choose a company that 
will recycle the tires.

The group got formal support Wednesday from the Sierra Club of Canada, which 
stated in a release that tire burning releases toxic and polluting 
chemicals.

http://www.aggregateresearch.com/article.asp?id=10374


''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''


Wheels spinning on tire decision
Company to handle recycling should have been named last year, says bidder
By JOSH VISSER

The CEO of a Quebec company that has bid on a contract to recycle Nova 
Scotia’s used tires calls the entire process "disappointing."

"We were told that it would take a few weeks to make a recommendation," said 
Michel Hould, CEO of Royal Mat Inc. "That was sometime in September or 
October."

Royal Mat, of Beauceville, Que., is one of three companies shortlisted for 
the Resource Recovery Fund Board contract for collecting and processing Nova 
Scotia’s used tires, which total close to one million a year.

Officials from the other bidders say they have not heard anything either.

The unusual amount of time the board is taking to make its decision also has 
Nova Scotia politicians wondering what the holdup is.

"It appears that they are taking their time," said Keith Colwell, the 
Liberal environment critic. "More than what you would expect."

It has been suggested that the board is waiting for a review on the 
environmental impact of burning tires.

The Department of Environment and Labour has commissioned a study on that 
topic but Environment Minister Mark Parent denied there is any connection to 
the board’s decision.

"The study is independent of the RRFB," Mr. Parent said. "I don’t think it 
factors into their equation."

Cathy McCarthy, the board’s communications director, said the board has been 
practising due diligence and that is the reason for the delay.

"The decision on who gets the contract is completely separate from anything 
the Department of Environment and Labour is doing," she said.

Lafarge North America’s plant near Brookfield is considered the front-runner 
to get the contract. Lafarge proposes to burn the tires as kiln fuel, a plan 
that has sparked controversy. Local residents have said burning tires would 
be harmful to the environment, a claim Lafarge denies.

The company is facing similar protests in Ontario, and Mr. Parent said he 
commissioned the study because many people oppose burning tires.

"I wanted to be proactive and I wanted a top-rate independent study by Nova 
Scotia scientists," he said.

Mr. Parent said that even if Lafarge doesn’t win the contract, another 
company might want to burn tires in the future, so it is better to be 
prepared. But the study will specifically research the Lafarge proposal.

The $30,000 study has been charged to a group of Dalhousie University 
scientists headed by Michael Pegg and is expected to be finished in late 
February.

The board said it expects a decision soon on the winning bid but a board 
meeting would be needed to make it official. No meeting has been scheduled.

( jvisser at herald.ca)

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/553159.html