THE GOVERNMENT’s new waste policy confirms the need for the incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin, according to Dublin City Council.
Assistant city manager Séamus Lyons said the Poolbeg plant “will be needed as long as waste available in the market continues to be landfilled”.
His comments follow publication yesterday of the new national waste policy by Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan.
Under the policy document A Resource Opportunity, the number of waste-planning regions for the State will be reduced from 10 to three, resulting in economies of scale and “greater efficiencies in the delivery of planning”, according to the Minister.
Mr Lyons said this would mean even more waste would be available in the Dublin region to go to Poolbeg rather than to landfill.
“There are no alternatives to Poolbeg available,” he said, adding that 1.19 million tonnes of waste was generated in the Dublin region in 2010.
Mr Hogan said landfill capacity would be reached within 12 years and the policy aims to reduce the amount of waste generated.
He confirmed that private sector operators would be allowed to operate freely but insisted they would have to adhere to strict new standards of service.
Operators are charged a nominal licence fee, currently €1,000 per permit, which does not reflect the profits they are generating. Higher fees will contribute to enforcement of the permit system.
The policy, accepted by Cabinet, overturns the programme for government commitment to allow local authorities to control which private companies collect waste.
Mr Hogan insisted operators would have to incentivise their customers to adopt more sustainable behaviour and would also have to be much more transparent about their charges.
Consumers will get the information they require “so if they are not satisfied, they can switch provider”. He criticised the way in which some firms treated their customers, including providing poor information.
“It’s not acceptable for firms to ignore the genuine complaints of their customers and they will be held to account for their failures under the new system,” the Minster said.
Political sources pointed to waste companies welcoming increased landfill charges to encourage waste diversion, but then passing the charge on to customers.
Landfill prices increased to €65 a tonne on July 1st, and will rise by a further €10 next year.
There will be further brown bin roll-out to increase the diversion of organic waste from landfill. Currently 34 per cent of households (410,000), have organic waste bins and the policy envisages a completed roll-out by the end of 2016.
Mr Hogan also plans a strengthened enforcement team to combat illegal fly-tipping, whereby small commercial loads are dumped illegally on back roads, as well as dealing with littering and backyard burning of waste.
A team of waste enforcement officers will also be established to combat serious criminal activity such as diesel laundering.
The policy document is available at environ.ie
