Fine Gael wants to end waste incineration

Fine Gael in Government would rule out incineration as a means of waste disposal, party leader Mr Michael Noonan said today.

Launching Fine Gael’s policy position on the environment, Mr Noonan said he believed a ‘zero waste policy’ was an attainable objective.

"Fine Gael believes that incineration is undesirable and would be likely to undermine our ‘zero waste’ policy approach," he said.

"While we accept that our proposals for waste minimisation, reuse and recycling will not eliminate all residual waste, we do not believe that incineration will be necessary if our strategy is implemented," he added.

Fine Gael’s environment spokeswoman Ms Deirdre Clune said: "A priority of the next Fine Gael-led government will be the setting up of a waste management agency to end the current ad hoc approach to the nation’s waste crisis."

Ms Clune said: "Public concerns regarding incineration are based on real fears relating to dioxin and particulate matter emissions."

"Fine Gael believes that properly engineered and well-run landfill sites are the best option available to dispose of waste that has been stripped of all its recyclable products," she said.

The party’s new policy promises to provide separate bin collections to each household as well as compost bins. It also says it will also ban certain materials from landfills and ensure service charges reflect the amount of waste left for end disposal.

It pledges to provide recycling subsidies for specific materials and provide stable markets for recycled products.