Vol. 508 No. 3
59 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the studies, if any, carried out on the issue of incineration of waste; his views on whether incineration is a safe and environmentally friendly method of disposing of waste; and his further views on the impact of incineration on the health and amenity of people living close to waste incineration plants. [17294/99]
Many international studies have been undertaken in relation to the incineration and thermal treatment of waste and considerable information in this regard is available through ENFO, the environmental information service operated by my Department.
During 1998, two EU funded feasibility studies were carried out in Ireland on thermal treatment/recovery options as one element in an integrated approach towards the management of wastes. These studies examined the technical, environmental, financial and social 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 concluded, inter alia, that waste combustion with energy recovery is a safe, tried and tested technology capable of meeting stringent environmental standards. They were undertaken to assist in informing the development and implementation of waste management plans by the local authorities in the regions concerned.
Waste to energy incineration, carried on 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. 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.
Irish environmental legislation, in particular the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992, provides for the integrated licensing and comprehensive environmental control of waste incineration facilities. High standards of environmental protection are applied in the context of licensing such facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency – EPA – is precluded from granting an integrated licence unless, among other considerations, it is satisfied that the activity concerned will not endanger human health or harm the environment. At present, the agency has granted IPC licences in respect of ten hazardous and clinical waste incineration facilities.
The location of any incineration facility is a matter for the proposer of such a facility, subject to the requirements of planning legislation and environmental licensing.
Did the studies to which the Minister referred include consideration of closed cycle thermal treatment systems and, if so, what were their conclusions?
The studies covered all available options known to the regional authorities including pyrolysis, gassification and fast burn incineration. These and all other options which were deemed reasonable were considered by the local or regional authorities concerned.
Does the Minister realise that an enormous amount of waste is produced by poultry and mushrooms, especially in my own constituency of Cavan-Monaghan and across the Border? Are there any plans within the Department to utilise Objective One funding or funding under the new national plan to assist in building a structure to deal with that? An application has been made to Europe under the fifth programme for a licence. Is the Minister prepared to support that initiative which would deal with the serious situation which exists in the area, not just from an environmental point of view but also from a tourism point of view? The situation is also stalling the further extension of production.
I am aware of the problem in the Cavan-Monaghan area to which the Deputy refers. It is my understanding that the feasibility study for the north-east, which included Cavan-Monaghan, Louth and Meath, took this problem into account. Deliberations focused on the most feasible type of treatment of waste in the region. The particular problem to which the Deputy refers was given a great deal of consideration before any final recommendation was made.
The Department is not directly responsible for the provision of these facilities. The regional authorities or local authorities in a region will make the final decision on waste management strategies and plans. It will be up to them to decide what mix of solutions will be utilised for waste management in their areas. I am sure the north-eastern regional authority will be very conscious of the problem referred to by the Deputy.
The Minister spoke recently about the need for approximately £650 million investment in solid waste management. Does he intend or expect, through his Department, to provide any funding for the establishment of incinerators and has he included, in his own contribution to the development of the national plan, any provision for funding for waste incinerators?
Obviously I cannot go into details here of what may or may not be in the national plan. I am speaking here as Minister for the Environment and Local Government; I am not expressing my personal views or opinions on this.
What is the departmental view then?
As I have stated publicly prior to this, our waste management infrastructure requires considerable improvement. That would form part of the considerations of the national development plan. It is necessary, if we are to have continued economic development, that a proper waste management infrastructure is put in place. Funding will be provided for that in the national development plan. The question of waste management facilities within regions and local authority areas is a matter for the local authorities concerned.
60 Ms Clune asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the provisions, if any, he has made for the disposal of sludge from waste water treatment plants in view of the fact that the EU landfill directive will prohibit the disposal of such sludge on landfill sites. [18764/99]
In 1997 my Department appointed consultants to undertake additional work in the area of sludge management with the principal aim of refining existing policy in relation to the re-use of treated sludge and to provide a methodology for local authorities to prepare and implement sludge management plans. This policy had identified that the least desirable disposal method was landfilling and reflects the direction taken in the landfill directive which imposes strict conditions on, though does not prohibit, the disposal of sewage sludge to landfill. In June of this year, the resulting guidance document for the preparation of sludge management plans and a model plan were issued to county councils and county boroughs by my Department with an instruction to them to press ahead with the preparation of county, or if more appropriate, regional sludge management plans. Copies of these documents are available in the Oireachtas Library. Work is being finalised on the preparation of a code of practice for re-use of the treated sludge on agricultural land.
Dublin Corporation has also recently awarded the sludge disposal contract for sludge arising from the Ringsend treatment plant. As a consequence, dumping of sewage sludge at sea from Ringsend has now ceased.
When will the new, stricter regulations come into force? I understood that sewage sludge was to be prohibited from landfill disposal. Are provisions in place to ensure that sludge does not get into the food chain? I would be concerned about land spreading. We have witnessed scares in Europe recently. Will safeguards be put in place to ensure the security of our food supply?
The landfill directive imposes very strict conditions on the disposal of sewage sludge to landfill although it does not prohibit it. It is still an option, though not the optimum one. A sludge strategy study was carried out in 1993 at which time the Department asked local authorities to commence the groundwork for the preparation of sludge management plans either by themselves or on a regional basis. In the Waste Management Act, 1996, there was also a requirement of local authorities, within their waste management plans, to deal with the issue of sludge. The guidance document for the preparation of sludge management plans, which I mentioned, was an effort by the Department to provide more detailed guidance to local authorities on the preparation of plans and to specify the parameters and the issues to be taken into account in their preparation. It is my understanding that all the regions and local authorities will probably have their waste management plans in place and decided by the end of this year. Sludge management will form part of those general waste management plans.
Does the Minister agree that if landfill disposal is the most undesirable way of disposing of sewage sludge, spreading that sludge on agricultural land is the next most undesirable way? Does the Minister intend to give effect to that view in the recommendations he will make to local authorities in the context of their waste management plans?
Spreading treated sludge on land is quite an acceptable way of disposing of it.
Acceptable to whom?
It is acceptable environmentally and healthwise. International practice supports the land-spreading of bio-solids, which is a waste water treatment derived sludge and can be beneficially recycled. With regard to the preparation of the sludge management plans, we have outlined a model plan based on the circumstances that might apply in particular counties and we are giving that information to the local authorities. A code of good practice is in place for the use of bio-solids. Deputies may have seen an article in one of last Saturday's newspapers relating to the £200 million sewage treatment plant. Spreading sludge on land is acceptable if it is properly treated and with these documents and the guidance given, we are trying to ensure that it will be properly treated and used properly.
