Read About the Campaign!

11/26/02 Breaking News! Tribal Members & Greenaction Win Victory! Stericycle Closes Controversial Waste Incinerator at Gila River Indian Community reservation in Arizona!

4/15/02 IES incinerators torn down! See the Photos!

Read the Stericycle statement confirming the end of incineration at the site

5/15/02 Chicago: Stericycle Shareholders Meeting! Greenaction and Health Care Without Harm Challenge Medical Waste Company to End Incineration. Read the Message To Shareholders, and read the Health Care Without Harm report on Stericycle.

Read Industry Journal Report on Protest & Press Conference at Stericycle Shareholder Meeting

Read the Health Care Without Harm report on Stericycle Inc and press coverage of the report in Solid Waste Report

2/28/02 If the Government Won't, The People Will...History of the Community Victory Against the IES Incinerators

12/13/01 The fight for jobs and environmental justice: Lessons and next steps in the campaign against the IES incinerators

12/7/01 Read the breaking news about the great victory!

12/8/01 Read the Oakland Tribune Dec. 8, 2001 front page story on the victory!

11/28 Breaking News!! IES Incinerators May Be Sold, And Shut Down!!! Read the Oakland Tribune front page story!

11/7 Protest at IES Incinerators! IES Tries to Drive Waste Truck into Peaceful Crowd Including Elders and Kids. Read the Feature Story in the SF Bay Guardian!

11/1 Breaking News! IES Fined Almost 1 Million Dollars for Violations! Read the San Jose Mercury News Story!

9/11 IES incinerators hit with fines for violations

9/5 Coalition Blockades IES Incinerators Again! 4 Arrested in Successful Action. Read the details and the Oakland Tribune story and watch the Independent Media Video!

8/31 IES Breaks Off Negotiations With Greenaction and Coalition--New Protests Planned! Read the Coalition's Letter to IES Demanding Zero Dioxin Now!

8/22 24 Hour Vigil at IES Incinerators Keeps Pressure On! Read about the vigil, new negotiations with IES!

8/21 24 hour vigil at IES successful

8/21 San Jose Mercury News Press Coverage, "Environmentalists work to phase out incinerators, stop release of pollutants"

8/14 One week after protesters blockaded the front gate of their incineration facility, Integrated Environmental Systems today announced plans to reduce incineration of medical waste by 70% within one year. Greenaction and the whole coalition vow to continue the fight to end all incineration at IES!

Press Coverage:
8/15 Government Air Quality Regulators Too Cozy With Polluters: Read the Bay Guardian story
8/14 SF Chronicle

8/7 Three Arrested in Successful 8-Hour Blockade at IES Incinerators in East Oakland! Check out video of the blockade at indymedia.org and press coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle!
7/19 Pressure Builds Against IES Incinerators: Protests Escalate! Read Oakland Tribune Editorial, News Coverage, and Greenaction Press Release
Get Involved! Turn Up the Heat to Shut the IES Incinerators in Oakland. Tell the Bay Area Air District to Deny New Permits to the Incinerators!
6/28 Hundreds Protest at IES Incinerators! Coalition Vows to Begin Direct Action Campaign! Read all about it! Check out the photos from the protest!
6/15 See the photos from our press conference in front of the IES incinerators!
6/14 Breaking News IES Incineration Facility Busted for Serious Violations: State Suspends Company Permit In Face of Growing Public Pressure! Read the State's Press Release, Oakland Tribune coverage and Greenaction Statement
	Oakland Kids Say NO to I.E.S. Incinerators! See the artwork from Melrose School Students!
5/29 Students Hold Prayer Service at Incinerators, Call on IES to Stop Burning Medical Waste. Read about it! Check out the photos!
Read the fact sheet and press coverage about the toxic threat from the IES incinerators! Demand IES replace the incinerators with safer non-incineration technologies to protect jobs, community health and environment!
Read the Major Press Coverage of the Battle Against the IES incinerators San Francisco Chronicle, 3/27 Oakland Tribune 3/2 and 3/3
1/29 Victory! Greenaction and Community Defeat Stanislaus County Medical Waste Importation and Incineration Plan. Read the press coverage and fact sheet.!
Stanford and Alta Bates Hospitals Move Away From Waste Incineration: Big blow to IES' incineration business!
New Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance Formed!

For more information, contact:

Bradley Angel Greenaction

(415) 248-5010

IES Medical Waste Incinerators in Oakland to Close Immediately!

4 Year Battle Against Toxic Polluter Ends in Big Victory for Community, Health and Environmental Justice

Oakland, CA -- In an enormous victory for community and environmental justice groups, the controversial Integrated Environmental Systems medical waste and solid waste incinerators in Oakland, California, closed effective December 10, 2001.

Faced with escalating community protests and blockades of trucks carrying medical waste,
massive fines and pending legal action, IES has been sold to competitor Stericycle. The new owner reportedly will be tearing down the incinerators and closing the facility immediately.

IES was the last remaining commercial medical waste incineration facility in California, and was under fire from the community due to emissions of dioxin, mercury, particulates and other toxics. IES was also notorious for hundreds of violations, including excess emissions, broken monitors, odors, uncontrolled bypasses of the pollution control equipment and worker safety violations. Despite recent claims by government officials that IES had improved, violations including excess hydrochloric acid emissions and more uncontrolled bypasses have continued.

IES was located in a low-income community of color in East Oakland, and government agencies including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District participated in environmental racism by ignoring toxic emissions and ongoing violations for years.

Greenaction and the Coalition for Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice have battled IES and government agencies for four years to end incineration. We have worked, and will continue to work, to promote safer non-incineration technologies to treat medical waste, and to encourage hospitals to use less toxic products. The Coalition brings together local residents and community, health, labor, religious, youth and environmental justice groups.

Stericycle is the largest medical waste treatment company in the U.S., and operates three non-incineration autoclave facilities in California and medical waste incinerators in Utah and Arizona. Greenaction and the Coalition call on Stericycle to use only non-incineration technologies, and we will oppose any attempt by Stericycle to send waste out of state for incineration. We call on Stericycle to hire IES workers who may lose their jobs as a result of the sale.

"This is a great victory for community health and environmental justice," said Bradley Angel, Executive Director of Greenaction. "This victory shows that ordinary people with justice on our side can beat polluters and their friends in government. This victory will send a message across the country that incineration is a dangerous and unacceptable technology that must be replaced by safer alternatives. The health of our communities must be a priority over the profits of polluters."