Vol. 529 No. 1
767 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if Ireland was one of the 120 countries which recently signed an agreement to tackle pollutants identified as POPs, including dioxins and furans; and if the introduction of regional waste incinerators would be compatible with the objectives of this agreement. [30591/00]
806 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the ratification process involved arising from the treaty agreed at the fifth international conference on persistent organic pollutants in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December 2000; his views on whether such ratification should be expedited; and the length of time he expects the process to take. [1421/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 767 and 806 together.
I refer to the reply to Question No. 284 of 5 December 2000. The text of a treaty to address certain persistent organic pollutants – POPs – was agreed at the INC-5 session held in Johannesburg on 4-9 December 2000. The treaty will be formally adopted and opened for signature at a diplomatic conference in Stockholm on 22-23 May 2001. I will be seeking Government approval to sign the convention on behalf of Ireland. Thereafter, I intend that Ireland will work towards ratification of the treaty in the context, inter alia, of the development by the Environmental Protection Agency of national POPs emissions inventories, progress on the ratification of the 1998 UNECE (Aarhus) POPs Protocol and ratification of the treaty by the European Community. The treaty enters into force following ratification by 50 countries. I am not in a position to estimate the timescale involved.
With regard to the issue of waste incineration in this context, the 1998 policy statement, Changing our Ways recommended that local authorities identify and assess a range of waste treatment technologies, with a view to the development of an integrated waste management infrastructure appropriate to their particular circumstances. Thermal treatment of waste, carried out in accordance with high environmental standards, is regarded as environmentally preferable to the disposal of waste by landfill, and plays a major part in municipal waste management in many EU countries, and further afield. Accordingly, Changing our Ways proposed that, where technically and economically feasible, and subject to appropriate attention to materials recycling, incineration with energy recovery or other advanced thermal processes are among the treatment options which should be considered in an integrated waste management strategy. This remains the case and is not incompatible with the provisions of either the UNECE (Aarhus) POPs Protocol or the treaty to be adopted and signed in Stockholm in May next.
