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2009 was a busy year for folks fighting incinerators across the US and Canada, with quite a few notable victories! Below is a review of the year, including industry threats, policy debates and community victories. Please take a moment to reflect, be inspired and celebrate, as we all regroup for the year ahead.

At the 2010 US Social Forum in Detroit, environmental justice groups, backed by the GAIA network, will lead a mass non violent civil disobedience action against a U.S. Goliath of climate and community pollution.

On April 17th in Parma, Italy, a major demonstration in favor of Zero Waste and against incineration will be taking place, gathering people from all over Italy and abroad.

Parma is known all over the world for its Parmesan Cheese, Parma ham, wine and pasta but the local authorities are threatening to build an incinerator a stone's throw from the city centre. This will not only jeopardise recycling, composting and the health of the citizens, but also the credibility and safety of Parma's food industry, the main pillar of the local economy. Please put pressure on the administrators and food producers so that they demand the authorities stop this project and go for a sustainable solution.

“L’escalfament Global. Incineració De Residus, Solució O Problema?"

GAIA warns about the nomination of Connie Hedegaard as EU commissioner for climate action because of her support to a dirty technology such as incineration. When compared the emissions of an incinerator produce more CO2 [1] than a gas or coal power plant.

Part 4, Background: Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, PhD., environmental scientist, offers a comprehensive introduction to explain the science and problems behind pyrolysis, gasification and plasma incineration.

Part 3, Background: Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, PhD., environmental scientist, offers a comprehensive introduction to explain the science and problems behind pyrolysis, gasification and plasma incineration.

Part 2, Background: Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, PhD., environmental scientist, offers a comprehensive introduction to explain the science and problems behind pyrolysis, gasification and plasma incineration.

Part 1, Background: Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, PhD., environmental scientist, offers a comprehensive introduction to explain the science and problems behind pyrolysis, gasification and plasma incineration.

Entre tanto traje, corbata, sonrisa kolynos como si nada pasara y el mundo tuviera todavia otro mundo remplazable que lo estuviese aguardando, los recicladores de india y america latina les enseñaron ante el grito de "vamos a reciclar y no a incinerar" como se vienen ganando la vida dignamente desde hace decenas de años. Parece de no creer, pero todos los medioambientalistas del mundo y delegados oficiales de las diferentes naciones, no consiguen embocarle al buen recipiente diferenciado de residuos, y toda la cantidad de desechos que producen todas estas personas por dia en el Bela Center (sitio donde se desarrolla las Negociaciones de esta Conferencia numero 15) termina mezclado entre 4 tarros diferentes, para plastico, papel, organicos, botellas y otros.

Please sign this open letter to be delivered to climate negotiators in Copenhagen. The new climate treaty must support efforts to increase recycling through the informal sector, instead of funding incinerators and landfill gas systems.

Copenhagen, 7 December 2009 – Fifteen million people worldwide make a living from waste picking. They collect, sort, clean and in some cases, process these recyclables, returning them to industry as an inexpensive and low-carbon raw material. Wastepickers are incredibly efficient recyclers – and can achieve recycling rates higher than 80%. Their recycling work reduces emissions up to 25 times more than incineration does. Wastepickers significantly reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions through recycling rates, and could further reduce emissions given proper support.

Baby Mohite with the wastepickers trade union KKPKP discusses the connections between wastepicker livelihood and environmental protection at the COP 15 climate talks.