Residents oppose plans for second waste treatment plant

MORE than 40 angry Aghada and Rostellan residents protested outside Cork County Hall yesterday against plans to build a second waste treatment plant in their region.

Clean Technology Organisation (CT0) wants to build a waste treatment plant 250 metres from Rostellan lake and to process a significant amount of waste products.

But residents are totally against the move because they claim it will destroy a unique wildlife sanctuary that is home to a rare selection of wildlife species. The residents also claim there is no information on how it plans to process a large amount of waste products. These include animal faeces and manure; sludge from the on-site effluent plant; spent activated carbon; plant tissue waste and wastes. Residents’ spokesman Robin Triggs claimed that CTO have been extremely reticent on a number of issues raised by the Aghada District Community.

And the company has also declined to answer any detailed questions put to them, Mr Triggs added.

CTO are currently operating a smaller plant on a site further up the lake and community have raised concerns about health issues, pollution and pervading noxious odour in the atmosphere.

“The people of Aghada and Rostellan are appalled that Cork County Council should even a consider siting such a facility in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary,” Mr Triggs said.

Independent environmental studies have shown that this plant is unsustainable and will no doubt cause pollution in the lake, he added.

Both Fianna Fáil Cllr Michael Hegarty and Labour Cllr Mulvihill supported the protesters and said the council should think very seriously before giving planning permission to a second treatment plant at Rostellan lake. A company spokesman could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.

Cork County Manager Maurice Maloney said a decision would not be made on the proposed plant because the council has requested a lot more additional information from the company. Responding to criticisms of the management of the present treatment plant at Rostellan lake, Mr Maloney said the council’s environmental section is currently investigating problems at the CTO site. And Cork County Council is also considering taking legal action against the company for alleged breaches of the environmental laws, Mr Maloney added.

There was a public meeting in Aghada last night to rally support for the campaign and residents will meet council officials today to outline their objections.