Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 January 2010
27 Deputy Seymour Crawford asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason he did not review or change waste policy in his first years in office that might have prevented the Poolbeg incinerator, Dublin 4, being developed to the capacity currently planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2507/10]
View answerThe Programme for Government agreed in 2007 signalled a fundamental change of policy in relation to waste management. Reflecting the ambition of the Programme commitment, I have repeatedly made clear that incineration can no longer be the cornerstone of Irish waste policy, and that it is the Government's intention not to support the provision of excessive incineration capacity but to maximise the diversion of waste for reuse, recycling, composting or anaerobic digestion. I have made my policy position clear to Dublin City Council on a number of occasions and have drawn their attention to the risks involved in proceeding with an incinerator with a very high level of capacity.
The Programme's objectives to implement this policy change included a commitment to carry out an international review of waste management plans, practices and procedures and to act on the conclusions. The report, by a group of Irish and international consultants engaged to carry out a major study to underpin the conclusion of the review, was published in November 2009.
This Report marks a new departure in our approach to waste management. I will be bringing proposals for the implementation of the recommendations in the report to Government as soon as possible in 2010. The Report of the International review provides the framework for waste policy in the coming years and certainty for those in the waste management sector, in particular in respect of investment decisions in relation to the provision of infrastructure and services.
