4th March 2003

PRESS RELEASE

GREENS DISAPOINTED WITH BORD PLEANALA DECISION ALLOWING INCINERATOR IN MEATH

The Green Party stated today that it was extremely disappointed at An Bord Pleanála's decision  to allow the construction of the country's first municipal waste incinerator at Carranstown, County Meath.

Planning permission for the development of a waste management site was granted by Meath County Council to Indaver Ireland in 2001, subject to 31 conditions being met.  Last year An Bord Pleanála heard a large number of objections to the proposed incineration plant but decided today that it would uphold planning permission if the 31 conditions were met.

Green Party Environment spokesperson,  Ciarán Cuffe T.D.,  said today, "The Green Party are extremely disappointed with this decision.  We believe that communities, if given the choice, would reduce, re-use and recycle their waste rather than opt for incinerators.  We also believe that  emissions from incineration plants  such as dioxins pose a risk to health and may also contaminate the food chain and because of this they are a real threat to Ireland's tourism, agricultural and food industries."

Mr. Cuffe said that there were plans to build, not one but two incinerators in the general area, in Meath and Fingal.  "Apart from the Indaver Carranstown incinerator, Treasury Holdings have applied to build a Herhof  incineration plant at Courtlough,  just south of Balbriggan,  to process 100,000 - 150,000 tonnes of mixed materials per annum."

Mr. Cuffe also criticised the Government's overall  handling of the waste crisis and its plans to allow incineration to stake a major claim in solving the crisis across the country.   "It is strange to hear the Minister for Agriculture,  Joe Walsh,  express concern for Irish farming when his Government is promoting incineration policies which can only damage Irish agriculture and the food industry in general."

Mr. Cuffe said that "apart from the Government's promotion of a flawed technology, incineration will do little to decrease the amount of waste, as these plants need constant feeding  to make them economically viable. They create the wrong market incentives.  The Green Party will continue to work with local community interests in opposing incinerator proposals."

"We also feel that the Integrated Pollution Control Licensing (IPCL)  licensing sytem needs to be reviewed, in order to allow an appeal process similar to that of An Bord Pleanála.  We have tabled amendments to this affect the Protection of the Environment Bill which is currently before the Oireachtas. This case highlights the need to allow third party appeals in regard to pollution issues which is not allowed under the law as it currently stands.”

ENDS