Devon County Council claims that the energy from waste plant will result in thorough combustion of the waste and that emissions from the process will be low when compared to European Waste Incineration standards. The Council also says the public will be able to log onto the internet to see exactly how the plant is performing relative to European standards.

However, the Green Party is calling on the County Council to measure air quality before the building of the incinerator and during the construction phase, so that residents can judge for themselves whether the construction and operation of the plant has had a detrimental impact on air quality.

The Green Party also says the incinerator is to be built in an area where air quality is already an issue, pointing out that the Environment Agency has identified a number of sites on the industrial estate as being polluters.

Andrew Bell, policy officer with Exeter Green Party said:

“If Devon County Council is so confident about the low emissions from the proposed incinerator, let’s see the figures, before work begins on the plant, then again during construction, not just once operation begins. It is also vital that the effects of emissions are understood in the context of all the other industrial processes in Marsh Barton. The plant will not be operating in isolation to other emitters and it is vital for residents in Exeter to understand the potential cocktail of pollution in the area rather than just knowing the readings for one process. Lets have a truly transparent process where the people of Exeter can judge for themselves the impact of the incinerator.”