A special meeting of Louth County Council last night voted to reject the draft waste-management plan for the north-east.
The plan included a proposal to treat thermally, possibly by incineration, 39 per cent of the half a million tonnes of waste produced in the region each year. It has already been adopted by the councils in Meath, Monaghan and Cavan.
The rejection by 16 to nine votes, with one councillor absent, followed a debate lasting more than three hours. Before the vote on the plan, the council agreed to suspend standing orders to vote on a motion from Fianna Fail councillor Mr Peter Savage (FF).
They voted in favour of his motion, that "Louth County Council do not build or participate in the building of a thermal treatment or gasification plant within the county of Louth."
The rejection of the plan was welcomed by Louth People Against Incineration, who had campaigned against it because of the inclusion of thermal treatment.