History of the protest campaign led by Byker resident’s before BAN Waste was set up

In the spring 1999, Val Barton, an allotment holder and resident living close by to the Byker Incinerator, found by chance that the Council was planning to double the size of Byker Incinerator and sign a long term contract with SITA to burn the city’s waste.

Mrs Barton immediately contacted legal, health and environmental experts to gather information about the incineration of refuse and alternatives for dealing with waste. Mrs Barton organised 2 public meetings addressed by a toxicologist and an environmental consultant. The meetings were well attended as people wanted to tell of their experiences and poor health that they attributed to having lived close to an incinerator for 20 years. Local residents, health experts, political and environmental activists came forward to help. A major campaign then began to oppose the plans and prevent the contract from being signed.

Called, Campaign Against the Incineration of Refuse, the group used a wide array of ground-breaking, inspiring and dramatic methods of highlighting the health and environmental dangers associated with incinerating refuse; the weak regulation of the industry; the poor working practices of incineration and disposal operatives and the safer alternatives available. Over a 3 year period CAIR was accredited with over 200 articles in the local, national and specialist newspapers and magazines and its work regularly featured on local as well as national TV and radio news programmes including Newsnight and You and Yours.

In January 2000 a public meeting was held in Byker School which was full to capacity and attended by approximately 200 people. At that meeting a call for a public enquiry was supported unanimously except for one abstention. In February, however, the Council formally rejected the call but set up a community consultation group to examine all the issues raised at the public meeting. That group was initially called The Byker Plant Working Group but later became known as BAN Waste.