Galway cleans up amid rancour over vote

As the fallout from the Connacht waste plan vote continued yesterday, Galway's local authorities confirmed waste collections were to resume "temporarily".

Galway city manager Mr John Tierney said domestic collections would resume today pending further discussions between private waste contractors and the acting manager of Ballinasloe Urban District Council, Mr Tom Kavanagh, on Friday. There was mixed reaction yesterday to Galway Corporation's U-turn on the Connacht waste management plan on Monday night, with Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrat councillors defending their decision to vote for it, and Fine Gael, Labour and environmental groups criticising the move.

The Fianna Fail senator, Ms Margaret Cox, who voted against, said she intended to initiate a technical variation of the plan, as agreed in a motion accepted on Monday night.

Last July the plan was rejected by both local authorities, with city councillors seeking to accept the strategy without incineration. Galway County Council is due to consider the plan in several days' time.

The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, a TD for Galway West, welcomed the result, which was carried by one vote. He denied councillors had come under pressure from the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey. "No final decision has been taken on an incinerator for Galway," he said. "We have to put the facts before the people and assure them that there are no health risks."

Galway for a Safe Environment (GSE) described the vote as a "betrayal of the people of Galway". "The door is now open for a multinational waste incineration company to lodge a planning application for a 200,000tonne waste incinerator in one of four sites in Galway city: Brockagh, Ardaun, Ballindooley and Galway docks," Dr Conchur O Bradaigh, of GSE, said. ail and the Progressive Democrats to push through the waste plan in Galway city," he said.

The Green Party's candidate for Galway West, Mr Niall O Brolchain, also criticised the decision, and said that the only positive note was the establishment of a principle at the meeting that any aspect of the plan can now be amended by Galway Corporation at any time in the future.

An Taisce's Galway branch expressed disappointment and blamed the problem on the corporation's "historic intransigence" on the city's waste and the use of the landfill at Carrowbrowne in spite of a High Court ruling. Waste contractors had already begun collecting refuse yesterday evening as part of a temporary agreement to continue using Poolboy landfill in Ballinasloe.

Ballinasloe Urban Council last night agreed to extend the lifting of its ban on city commercial waste at the Poolboy landfill until the middle of next week, pending the outcome of discussions between the council and waste contractors.