Danes burn fingers on cement kiln project

Controversy is growing over a Danish funded project to convert a cement kiln in Mozambique for the incineration of obsolete pesticides. Danish aid agency DANIDA is investing DKK 42 million (US$ 6 million) in upgrading the cement kiln, collecting 540 tonnes of obsolete pesticides from 69 locations and managing the disposal operation. 
    Disposal of obsolete pesticides in developing countries has usually relied on repackaging the chemicals and transport for incineration in dedicated toxic waste facilities in Europe. In this case DANIDA believed that it is helping to solve Mozambique's obsolete pesticides problem while making the cement kiln more economically viable. Therein lies the root of criticisms targeted against the project.
    South African Based  Environmental Justice Networking Forum (EJNF) alleges that the contractor hired to collect the pesticides in Mozambique and deliver them to the cement kiln has tried to import waste from other countries for incineration in Africa. This raises concerns that the Mozambique facility will be seen as a regional resource and will attract toxic waste from elsewhere.
    Incinerator operators charge for the destruction of toxic waste, and in cement kilns the waste can often augment or replace regular fuel which needs to be purchased. However, emission controls are less sophisticated on cement kilns than on dedicated toxic waste incinerators and there is a risk that seriously hazardous pollutants such as dioxins will be emitted. 
    Advocates of cement kilns claim that the higher incineration temperatures (up to 2000°C in cement kilns; around 1200°C in dedicated incinerators), longer residence times of the waste at those temperatures and the emission controls which are in place prevent the formation and emission of dioxins or other pollutants. Norway for example, uses cement kilns to incinerate all its toxic waste and claims to meet the most stringent emission standards. Others are less convinced. 
    Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network in support of EJNF claim that DANIDA has  "refused to conduct a true comparison of all available alternatives [for toxic waste treatment] including the cost effectiveness and environmental soundness of these" and that the Danes are rushing  "to promote dangerous, polluting, end-of-pipe, waste disposal methods in Mozambique to the primary economic benefit of Danish companies".
    DANIDA continues to support the project, and has recently announced that it will take back the technology if Mozambique imports waste from other countries for incineration in the cement kiln. This may well not have been the initial intention of the project, since the costs involved will undoubtedly make this disposal operation much more expensive than sending the waste for incineration to Europe.  (MD)

 [This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 41, September 1998, page 16]