A chara, – The Environmental Protection Agency is concerned about the diversion of waste, especially packaging waste, from recycling to incineration.
They shouldn’t be surprised. They were warned that to allow construction of too much incineration capacity too soon would result in a demand for waste from the profit-orientated operators of commercial incinerators. And that demand will rise further if Indaver succeed in opening yet another commercial incinerator in Ringaskiddy.
Many groups and individuals begged the EPA to oppose the development of commercial incineration in Ireland. The EPA declined and effectively supported the incinerator project.
Now they claim to be concerned when the forecast “pull factor” of commercial incineration becomes a reality.
Commercial incinerator operators need to make money. That means they need more, not less, waste. Recycled waste is for them a lost opportunity.
So the EPA has a dilemma. It can either persuade government to set higher recycling targets and enforce them, thereby rendering the commercial incinerators non-viable, or they can live with the consequences of their own bad policy decisions and bleat impotently from the margins. – Le meas,
BRENDAN RYAN,
Montenotte, Cork