Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 1 May 1990

Vol. 398 No. 1

Written Answers. - Dublin Hospital Waste Disposal.

Roger T. Garland

Ceist:

48 Mr. Garland asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the practice of hospital waste from Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9 being disposed of by deep burial at a county council tiphead; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that such a practice is inherently dangerous, especially if the wastes have not been sorted, as hospital wastes contain both toxic and hazardous materials which, in the due process of time, contaminate the ground waters and thence the water courses; and the measures he intends to take to rectify this situation.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon)

I am aware that the incinerator at Beaumont Hospital has not been in use since September 1989 and I understand that the policy of the hospital is to segregate the waste into infected and non-infected categories before disposal. The non-infected waste is sent to a landfill site and the infected waste is incinerated off-site by private contractors and by another hospital.

Incineration is the preferred method of disposal of hospital waste and my Department is investigating the feasibility of installing large central incinerators which would serve a number of hospitals and be capable of meeting stringent environmental standards. These investigations include an assessment of the possibility of using the proposed national toxic waste incinerator and are at an advanced stage.