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GREENPEACE JOINS GOA PROTESTERS AGAINST HAZWASTE FACTORY

Greenpeace International Press Release 

NEW DELHI/MUBAI, India, 5 April 2000 -- Environmental pressure group Greenpeace has accused the Goa government of playing into the hands of Western nations keen on getting rid of their hazardous wastes by agreeing to set up the scrap-fed Meta Strips brass and copper smelter in Verna Industrial Estate, Goa. 

Meta Strips Ltd, set up in collaboration with Spain-based International Nickel Co., proposes to process imported brass and copper scrap and re-export refined copper and brass. The project has come under fire by community groups worried about the polluting effects of the waste processing factory. 

Factories such as Meta Strip that run on copper scrap, particularly PVC-coated copper cables, can release super-toxins such as dioxins during their operation. Because PVC-containing wastes pose immense environmental problems during disposal, western countries are increasingly seeking out new destinations for their PVC-containing wastes. 

"This is a clear case of toxic trade where hazardous wastes are sent to India for processing. While the rest of the world is closing its doors to foreign wastes, India seems to have laid out a red carpet to foreign waste exporters," said Nityanand Jayaraman, Greenpeace's Toxics campaigner. 

In a letter of solidarity sent to the activists who are currently on the 8th day of their hunger strike at Panjim, Goa, in protest against the waste factory, Greenpeace said: "We're fully supportive of the non-violent struggle launched by the Goan communities against the factory and urge the government to treat its citizens' concerns with more respect." 

Copper smelters are considered to be one of many significant sources of dioxin emission. At least as important as the smelting process is the fate of the PVC waste that will be generated at Meta Strips.

PVC, a poison plastic, cannot be disposed without significant negative environmental impacts. PVC recycling is a highly hazardous activity that poses serious health and environmental risks. A recent study 
by Greenpeace of PVC recycling in Vishwas Nagar, New Delhi, found high levels of heavy metal contamination in the environment within the recycling unit. 

For more information, contact: 

Nityanand Jayaraman: Mobile: +9820194022. Callers from outside Bombay should dial "0" before the number. 

Shailendra Yashwant. Mobile: +9820182304 
 


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