A 20-year waste management plan for the south east, which includes a proposed incinerator, goes on public display today.
The decision by consultants to recommend a thermal treatment unit as part of the plan has been criticised by a leading anti-incineration group, which claims the people of the region have clearly stated their opposition to the proposal.
Mr Joe Bridges, of the Wexford-based Research and Information Group, said there were still "very serious concerns about the health impact of incinerators" and his group would fight the proposal.
Consultants Fehily Timoney & Co, who drew up the plan for the region's local authorities, said environmental impact assessments were carried out on four waste management scenarios, two of which included thermal treatment. Both of these options, it said, were shown to have "the least potential impact on humans".
The plan recommended by the consultants includes "maximum realistic recovery and recycling" and the "full range of treatment systems" including materials recovery, biological treatment and incineration. All residual materials would be sent to landfill.
Its proposals also include a three-bin collection service for all urban households by 2008, a two-bin system in other areas, home composting to reach maximum levels by 2007, "bring centres" for recyclable materials at a minimum density of one per 1,000 population by 2005 and a network of material recovery facilities to be established in the region. An incinerator, for which no location has been recommended, would be limited to 150,000 tonnes of waste per year. Tenders will be invited from public-private partnerships before a location is decided.
This has not appeased those campaigning against such a facility. Mr Bridges said there was "inherent competition" between incineration and recycling "because they're competing for the same high-energy materials".
Once an incinerator was in place, the incentive to recycle or minimise waste would be greatly reduced.
Fehily Timoney, however, say the 150,000-tonne capacity assumes that the maximum amount of waste recovery and recycling is undertaken. "The size is limited to the quantity of waste that is combustible, but which otherwise cannot be recovered or recycled. In this manner, emphasis is maintained on minimising, recovery and recycling to the maximum extent possible."
At a presentation of the plan to the media, Mr Brendan Fehily, of Fehily Timoney, pointed out that incineration also produced energy, whereas at a landfill "you just put the waste in a whole in the ground". Mr Bridges said, however, it was a "very expensive way of trying to save energy".
Overall it is proposed that 57 per cent of the region's waste, which currently amounts to more than 300,000 tonnes per annum and is rising rapidly, would be recycled or recovered, 34 per cent would go to incineration and a residual 16 per cent to landfill. (This total exceeds 100 per cent as some of the material going to landfill will have been through other processes).
The plan is available for inspection at local authority offices in the region until April 17th, and submissions can be made until then. The final document is expected to be adopted in the summer.
A website has been set up with information on the plan, at www.wastenot.ie