Alternative methods of waste disposal, including incineration, would be reconsidered in Ireland, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, said yesterday.
However, he told fellow EU ministers that Ireland would face huge costs in transforming its waste management system if a draft landfill directive from the EU Commission is accepted unamended.
The directive requires member-states to upgrade their landfill sites and substantially reduce the amount of waste going to them in the period up to 2011.
Ireland uses landfill for over 90 per cent of its waste, while in the rest of the EU the proportion is under 60 per cent. The Irish are also concerned at the emphasis on the alternative of incineration which is likely to prove politically unpopular.
Mr Dempsey said that while his emphasis is on reducing waste going to landfill through minimisation, re-use and recycling, he would consider other options, including incineration. The technology for incinerators has considerably improved, he insisted.
He welcomed the general thrust of the legislation in attempting to get the highest standards of environmental protection in landfill operations. That was the purpose of Ireland's 1996 Waste Management Act, which through licensing operators would bring them up to European standards.
The Minister said Ireland's low population density made municipal incineration particularly uneconomic, while it also provided abundant land not available in other countries.
The Irish are also expressing reservations about accepting the principle of compulsory charging, an argument reflected also in discussions on the Water Framework Directive. Mr Dempsey said the Government would continue to resist mandatory charges for water.
Ministers continued work on preparation for the crucial December Kyoto world conference on greenhouse gases, at which the EU will lead with calls for major reductions in emissions.
