Opinions sought on draft waste proposals

The State plans to develop an extra 300,000 tonnes of thermal recovery or incinerator-type waste treatment capacity to halt the export of our rubbish abroad — a practice which is costing the economy millions.

A new plan has now been published which calls for the development of the extra thermal recovery capacity for non-hazardous waste, and for the provision of an extra 40,000 tonnes of capacity for food and green waste to tap into the waste’s potential for energy generation and job creation.

However, there is enough capacity in the existing pre-treatment waste facilities in the southern region to cope with projected waste levels up to 2021.