Written Answers. - Waste Management.
John Bruton
Ceist:
681
Mr. J. Bruton
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
his views on whether Ireland needs six thermal treatment facilities for waste as proposed in the regional waste management plans which are being prepared; and if not, the number of thermal treatment facilities he believes to be necessary.
[21150/01]
John Bruton
Ceist:
700
Mr. J. Bruton
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
if he will make a statement on the health study that he has commissioned regarding the health risks attached to incineration; when the study will commence; by whom the study will be conducted; the criteria and terms of reference for the study; the opportunities for local participation and submission of views; and when he expects the study to be completed.
[21705/01]
Rory O'Hanlon
Ceist:
729
Dr. O'Hanlon
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
if his attention has been drawn to the contents of a leaflet (details supplied); the steps which are being taken to correct the inaccurate information contained therein; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22137/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 681, 700 and 729 together.
The leaflet in question, distributed by the so-called No Incineration Alliance, is offensive and misleading. It is an exercise in scaremongering which misrepresents and falsifies facts and does a disservice to genuine public debate around proposed regional waste infrastructure.
The first collaborative report of the two cancer registries in the island of Ireland, published in May 2001, shows that one in three of the population of the island is likely to contract some form of cancer by age 74. This report was intended to provide information for future action to prevent cancer, improve care and treatment services and strengthen research arrangements in Ireland. It is highly inappropriate to use its findings for propaganda purposes.
Local authorities were advised, in my waste policy statement Changing our Ways, that achievement of national waste objectives requires, inter alia, a major reduction in reliance on landfill, in favour of an integrated waste management approach which utilises a range of treatment options to deliver ambitious recycling and recovery targets. Authorities were asked to identify and fully assess the various issues involved, with a view to identifying the nature, scale and mix of facilities which, at a regional level, appear to offer the best balance between maximised recovery of materials or energy and minimised environmental emissions, at reasonable cost.
Against this background, regional waste management plans subsequently adopted by 23 local authorities provide, inter alia, for five thermal treatment facilities to recover energy from waste that cannot otherwise be re-used or recycled.
In addition, the EPA's national hazardous waste management plan identifies a need for a thermal treatment facility for hazardous waste.
It is open to the private sector to bring forward proposals for thermal treatment facilities on a commercial basis, as is the case in relation to the proposed incinerator near Drogheda. Such proposals may have implications for the provision of thermal treatment capacity under local authority regional plans.
As regards thermal treatment itself, I am advised that emissions from proposed thermal treatment facilities, employing modern technologies and subject to compliance with strict environmental standards, do not present a significant risk to the environment or public health. EU legislation and policy also clearly contemplates the provision of thermal treatment facilities, which now operate in a majority of EU member states. All significant waste facilities are subject to full environmental impact assessment, planning controls and a rigorous environmental licensing system operated by the EPA, which must take the precautionary principle into account. The EPA is legally precluded from licensing a waste facility unless, among other considerations, it is satisfied that the activity concerned will not cause environmental pollution, that is to say will not to a significant extent endanger public health or harm the environment. The EPA, which is statutorily independent in the performance of its functions, considers that municipal waste incineration, operating to the best modern standards, and incorporating energy recovery, is preferable to landfill from an environmental viewpoint.
However, I accept that many people have genuinely held concerns about perceived health threats from thermal treatment or incineration, concerns which may be exacerbated by misinformation and misrepresentation. Concerns about new waste infrastructure generally will be mitigated only by demonstrating that our regulatory process is effective and can be relied upon, and by systematic communication and information at national and local level which provides the public with well-founded information and reasoned assurance.
I have asked the Health Research Board (HRB) to provide a study utilising appropriate research expertise in health and environmental sciences which will contain an objective, independent and expert analysis of all available information regarding the likely effects of landfill and thermal treatment, especially incineration activi ties on public health and the environment. I except a study team to be appointed shortly by the HRB. It is anticipated that the study will conclude by the end of February 2002 and a report will be published shortly thereafter.
The HRB study will encompass, but not be limited to: an evaluation of recorded impacts on public health and the environment from emissions from old landfills and thermal treatment technologies, i.e. facilities and technologies in operation prior to the imposition of modern operational requirements and emission standards; an assessment of the risk posed by emissions from modern landfills and thermal treatment technologies, i.e. operating to current EU standards, to public health and the environment, in the case of thermal treatment, emissions to be considered will include dioxins, heavy metals, particulates and nitrogen oxides emitted to the atmosphere, and emissions arising from the recovery or landfill disposal of "bottom" and "fly" ashes; the impact of current emission standards on the risk involved for public health and the environment; a comparison of risks posed to public health and the environment by emissions from modern thermal treatment plant with those posed by similar emissions from other sectors; a critical analysis of claims made by interests promoting and opposed to thermal treatment of wastes as to the impact of emissions on public health and the environment; and evaluation of the significance of biomarkers as indicators of exposure to emissions and their significance as indicators of potential health problems.
It will be a condition of the HRB study contract that the person or team awarded the contract will have regard to any relevant material submitted by interested groups.
