Gormley outlines stance on waste

INCINERATORS that have not yet received planning permission will not be built as Ireland will find different ways of dealing with its waste in future, Green Party Environment Minister John Gormley has said.

The emphasis must be on reducing and recycling but, in the meantime, Ireland will continue to export waste for incineration.

Following years of controversy, planning permission was granted for a number of incinerators, including in Mr Gormley’s own Dublin constituency and in Cork.

The minister said too many incinerators have been planned for the country given its population and is out of line with the numbers in other countries.

However, those for which there is already planning permission must go ahead, but incineration would no longer be a cornerstone of the country’s waste treatment policy.

The minister, who was attending his first EU environment ministers’ meeting, said: “The number of incinerators planned for our population is excessive and is not in line with many other countries. Many of our waste policies had incineration as a cornerstone, but we want to make sure this is not the case.

“I cannot do anything about those that have received their planning permission already, but I can make sure we have a much more sustainable policy going forward.”

The ministers were considering draft legislation revising the waste directive.