Council accused of double standards in waste licence row

WATERFORD City Council could be guilty of “double standards” following an Environmental Protection Agency report which shows its composting facility is operating without a licence, a councillor has claimed.

The plant at the Six Crossroads in Butlerstown, which has been up and running for two years, was one of three sites in the country identified by the EPA as operating illegally under the control of local authorities.

Fianna Fáil councillor, Tom Murphy, has always been an opponent of the plant and says the EPA claim could leave the council open to claims that the law doesn’t apply equally to all.

“Everyone has to answer for whatever things are being done in their facility. I don’t see why a treatment plant has to be any different. It we put anything wrong in our bins, the Waterford City Council wouldn’t be long pulling us up,” he said in an interview with WLR FM.

Waterford City Council confirmed that the Waterford site referred to in the Environmental Enforcement report is the local authority’s €3.5 million state-of-the-art composting facility at Six Cross Roads, Butlerstown, Waterford which processes the organic food and garden waste from the city’s 16,000 brown household bins in to high grade garden compost.

“It should be stressed that a waste licence is not required for the facility as the intake is not of sufficient scale,” a council spokesman said.

“The council is however required to register the plant with the Environmental Protection Agency and registration papers have now been submitted to the agency.

“The facility, where five people are employed, has full planning approval and uses leading-edge technologies specially selected for their safety record and positive environmental benefits.

“Waterford City Council remains committed to playing a leadership role in the Race Against Waste in conjunction with the community it serves,” the spokesman added.