Madam, – Joe McCarthy and Valerie Jennings are absolutely correct in calling for an independent, open inquiry into the proposed Poolbeg incinerator (Opinion, August 24th).
The proposed Poolbeg incinerator is far too large for the Dublin region waste market. The four Dublin local authorities now only manage approximately 240,000 tonnes of residual municipal waste per annum and this continues to decline annually with diversion of compostable waste and better recycling initiatives. From 2013 the Dublin local authorities will have approximately 190,000 tonnes of waste to send to the Poolbeg facility, however they have guaranteed to supply 320,000 tonnes of waste to the facility every year for 25 years. This cannot be achieved, and so financial penalties will be applied which will, of course, be covered by taxpayers and ratepayers.
The only way of lessening these penalties will be to increase the level of waste being sent to the incinerator, meaning the diversion of waste away from recycling, mechanical biological treatment (MBT) or other new processes. The Poolbeg incinerator, therefore, promises financial penalties and a reduction in recycling. This is a classic “lose-lose situation” for Dubliners and the region.
The four Dublin local authorities have a long track record in the highly inefficient management of waste services. This year alone, the Dublin local authorities have budgeted to lose approximately €61 million in “commercial” waste management services, excluding the €55 million spent on street cleaning and litter. By pushing blindly ahead with the construction of an incinerator that is far too large for the Dublin region waste market, Dublin City Council is exposing the taxpayer and ratepayer to massive penalties and is threatening the major shift that Dublin has been making towards recycling and waste prevention – an EU and Irish legal requirement since this year.
In summary, the entire project should be reviewed independently before any further public monies are spent. – Yours, etc,