Vol. 513 No. 3
216 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps, if any, he will take to encourage local authorities to adopt zero-emission technologies, for example, gasification, in the application of waste management and disposal policies. [2266/00]
In accordance with the policy guidance outlined in Changing our Ways, emerging regional waste management plans provide for the development of an integrated network of waste management infrastructure, including facilities for thermal treatment of waste.
To inform the development and implementation of these waste management plans, two EU-funded feasibility studies were carried out in 1998 on thermal treatment-recovery options as one element in an integrated approach towards waste management. These studies examined the technical, environmental and financial advantages and disadvantages of thermal treatment in two distinct rural regions, the north-east and mid-west, and in the greater Dublin region.
The studies considered three thermal treatment options, waste incineration with energy recovery – WTE – gasification and pyrolysis, under a range of criteria. At the time, the consultants concluded, inter alia, that WTE is a safe, tried and tested technology capable of meeting stringent environmental standards; gasification and pyrolysis are emerging technologies which are continuing to be developed to the scale likely to be appropriate in Irish circumstances; gasification offers environmental advantages over WTE, including lower emissions; gasification does not have the same track record as WTE, but appears to be close to becoming proven as a treatment method for municipal wastes; and pyrolysis may have future potential in certain applications but is not currently suitable as a bulk treatment method for municipal wastes.
