This article is from page 9 of the 2006-06-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 9 JPG
CONCERNS expressed by a number of organisations over the development of a €115 million incinerator for the mid-west region seem unlikely to halt the project.
This follows the publication of the review of the Regional Waste Management 2006-2011, which contains a number of changes to the original document after a wide-ranging public consultation exercise.
One of the contentious parts of the plan is the proposal to develop an incinerator in the region where, by 2013, over 40 per cent of Clare’s waste will be treated.
In its submission, The Centre for Environmental Living and Training said an incinerator would be detrimental to the region in terms of health landscape and tourism and would require constant supply that would negate the value of recycling.
Clare Council’s Special Policy Committee (SPC) on the Environment submitted that there was an inherent contradiction in the draft regional waste management plan proposing an incinerator while promoting reduction, reuse and recycling.
However, in its submission, the Ennis Chamber of Commerce stated that the provision of an incinerator should be considered as a form of waste management.
Chamber CEO Rita McInerney said the advantages of thermal treatment outweigh the disadvantages, but only as a last resort as there were questions over the technology. In the short-term, efforts should be concentrated on recycling and re-using, she said.
In spite of the submissions to halt the drive towards an incinerator, the revised draft plan maintains that thermal treatment is required for the region and only adds that “the policy will encourage industry to substitute the issue of fossil fuels with alternative fuel sources”.
The new draft regional waste plan doesn’t identify a site for an incinerator, although a feasibility study for the provision of thermal treatment has stated that the provision of such a facility “can be best achieved through some form of public-private partnership arrangement”.
“The plan allows for such a facility to emerge from the private sector, with the local authorities facilitating the provision of a thermal treatment facility in the region as a means of achieving landfill diversion targets.
“If progress is not made in implementing thermal waste treatment in the region by 2009, the local authorities will take steps to ensure that it is delivered according to the public-private model or a similar approach.
It is anticipated that the incinerator will treat 150,000 to 200,000 tonnes of waste each year.