EMRC's Curious Approach to Anaerobic Digestion - June 2011
The EMRC has four technologies on the table for their "Waste to Energy" plan. Three are versions of incineration, or controlled burning of rubbish. The fourth is Anaerobic Digestion, which is industrial composting.

On 24 June 2011 EMRC hosted a symposium on Anaerobic Digestion. Attending were community, industry and government representatives. Featured were two "experts" in the field of Anaerobic Digestion.

Gerald Tetchner is a UK chemical engineering consultant working on a pyrolysis incineration plant in Bunbury. His presentation was a wealth of information regarding the systems involved in an Anaerobic Digestion plant but he subtly disparaged Anaerobic Digestion while several times condescendingly remarked about "tree-huggers". He dismissed home composting as unsanitary and though Anaerobic Digestion is good, bigger is better, and better yet if you attach an incinerator to it.

Professor Dongke Zhang is a chemical engineer, and is Director of the Centre for Energy at UWA. Professor Dongke proudly proclaims he is climate change sceptic, saying there was no provable link between CO2 levels and climate change. He is a big booster of nuclear and coal. He said money should spent on adapting to climate change, not trying to control it. His Centre for Energy is sponsored by BHP, Chevron and ANSAC. ANSAC's website proclaims: "ANSAC is an undisputed international leader in the design and manufacture of thermal processing equipment". He admitted he wasn't an expert in Anaerobic Digestion, but was in the "hot technologies."

Save Perth Hills expected a fair-go discussion on the subject of Anaerobic Digestion. Instead their two "experts" had a clearly anti-Anaerobic Digestion bias.

Anaerobic Digestion would eliminate 70% of the bulk currently going into landfills, would generate electricity and make fertiliser. The three incineration techniques would eliminate 95% of the hulk and generate electricity, but could potentially pollute the air and water, and would produce 50,000 tonnes per year of concentrated pollutants that would be buried in the Red Hill tip.

International Incinerator Expert speaks - 5th Feb 2011
Paul Connett, world renown expert on waste disposal, spoke to a crowd at Midland Town Hall on Saturday 5 Feb. He explained how incineration is the worst, most expensive and dangerous method of disposing of waste, and recycling and reuse were the preferred methods. He called upon industry to reduce wasteful packaging.
"When they burn waste, millions of nano-particles are released, much of it toxic, and they don't know where they are going or what harm they will do."
The EMRC has 4 technologies proposed to the EPA, three of them involve incineration. The facility would be built at Red Hill, above Swan View.

Right - Dr Connett at Midland Town Hall