Kedgley urges airport shareholders to ditch incinerator

Green Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley is urging Auckland Airport shareholders to support a Greenpeace resolution to get rid of the airport's incinerator which has been breaching resource consents for two years.

The incinerator, which is used to dispose of the airport's quarantine waste, emits cancer-causing dioxins and heavy metals and Greenpeace suggest this incinerator could be the country's single biggest dioxin source.

"Shareholders now have the perfect opportunity to make the Auckland International Airport Company pay more than lip service to its social and environmental obligations," said Ms Kedgley.

"It is a shame that Auckland Airport cannot take the initiative to use cleaner technologies off their own bat, and I hope that its shareholders - who actually own the company - demand it."

Ms Kedgley said dioxins were among the most dangerous substances on earth and every person and company should be doing whatever was possible to avoid producing them.

"Wellington airport have shut down their dioxin-emitting incinerator and it is now incumbent on Aucklaqnd to follow suit," she said.

"The Greens welcome this initiative from Greenpeace. This resolution is an excellent use of their shares in this company.

"We only hope that the rest of the shareholders share their concerns about the impacts of this incinerator and demand more environmentally responsible practices from the company."

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