Waste disposal - ‘Reduce, reuse and recycle’

IN YEARS to come the walls of anthropology departments in universities will be lined with theses considering our inaction when confronted with our impact on the environment.

Speaking at a conference yesterday Environment Minister John Gormley reiterated his position on waste disposal... “The waste hierarchy is sacrosanct. Reduce, reuse and recycle come first — incineration and landfill are at the very bottom,” was his commendable mantra.

Referring to incineration he said he may preclude local authorities from making “put or pay” deals guaranteeing to supply incineration firms with waste or compensate them if flows do not reach a required level.