EPA waste proposals appear to be at odds with Gormley policy
Anti-incinerator protesters: the EPA says incinerators are necessary
Ireland must build incinerators to deal with the mountain of hazardous waste we send to other countries to burn, the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) said yesterday.
Revealing that 40pc of the 284,184 tonnes of toxic waste generated annually is sent abroad, the agency said incinerators must be built if the country is to become self-sufficient in waste management.
The official call for incineration by the EPA comes just weeks after Environment Minister John Gormley, of the Green Party, said that incineration was no longer the cornerstone of Irish waste policy.
He said no more than two incinerators would be needed to deal with the residual waste that could not be recycled or landfilled.
Incineration is a cornerstone of waste policy in most environmentally-friendly and advanced EU countries, including Holland and Germany where it is even endorsed by the Greens.
The EU has told Ireland that landfilling is no longer acceptable as a means of waste disposal and that Ireland must not rely on others to incinerate its rubbish.
However, the Proposed National Hazardous Waste Management Plan for Ireland 2008-2012, published yesterday by the EPA, says if we want to be self-sufficient in waste we will have to have incinerators here. An astonishing 29,888 tonnes of hazardous waste could not be accounted for last year, according to the EPA report.
This means it did not enter the proper waste disposal system. Most of this unreported waste came from small businesses, households and from farms. It is suspected that much of this may have been disposed of illegally.
A toxic waste incinerator has been approved for Ringaskiddy in Co Cork, while municipal incinerators are planned for Carranstown in Co Meath and Ringsend in Dublin, in the heart of the minister's constituency.
The new EPA plan aims to manage, in an environmentally-sound manner, hazardous waste which can not be prevented.
The largest quantity of hazardous waste is generated by Irish industry and includes such materials as industrial solvents, waste oils, industrial sludges and chemical wastes.
Dr Gerry Byrne, programme manager of the EPA's Office of Climate, Licensing and Resource Use, said there was room for improvement in the collection of hazardous waste from from households, small businesses and farms.
A total of 284,184 tonnes of hazardous waste was collected last year, an 8pc decrease since 2004. Some 47pc of this was exported for treatment and disposal, mostly for incineration and for use as fuel.
Some of it was used for solvent recovery and landfill. The balance is treated at the industrial facilities where it originates or in a network of 15 authorised hazardous waste treatment facilities in Ireland.
The proposed plan makes 30 recommendations, including the introduction of a comprehensive and accessible network of local drop-off facilities for householders and small businesses for hazardous waste.
A move towards more self-sufficiency is also recommended in the report.
Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent
Irish Independent
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