AIAL shareholders: Vote to clean up your company’s act

Greenpeace is asking AIAL shareholders for their proxy votes to support a resolution to get the company to clean up its act and close its dirty incinerator.

To explain the options for shareholders, Greenpeace has released a report, Options for Quarantine Waste Treatment at Auckland International Airport, which outlines the benefits for Auckland International Airport Ltd switching from incineration to clean technology for its quarantine waste business.

The report explains the financial, legal, social and environmental implications of the company’s quarantine waste investment decision.

“Auckland International Airport is the gateway to New Zealand. As such it has an obligation to the country and its shareholders to invest in clean technology. Incineration is yesterday’s technology,” said Sue Connor, Greenpeace toxics campaigner.

“A responsible business would be looking ahead and switching to steam sterilisation, as has occurred in Wellington.” Greenpeace has purchased a small number of shares in the company, in order to submit its resolution to the company’s annual general meeting, to be held this November 18. The submission, which Greenpeace has asked other shareholders to support through proxy votes, says: That the company (AIAL) commit to cease incineration of all quarantine waste within 12 months and change to steam sterilisation. “There is little if any material difference between an incinerator upgrade and installing steam sterilisation units. But potential future legal liabilities could add up for AIAL if incineration continues to be the chosen technology,” Connor says. “The Auckland airport incinerator emits dioxins, some of the most deadly chemicals known to science, and has been breaching its resource consent for two years.” Copies of the report are available free from Suzette Jackson at Greenpeace tel (09) 630 6317 ext. 849 or by accessing http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/aial

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