Residents protest at start of Dublin Incinerator Oral Hearning

dublin | environment | news report Monday April 14, 2008 12:43 by CRAI - C.R.A.I.

The Combined Residents Against the Incinerator (CRAI) are holding a protest at the first day of the Environmental Protection Agency’s oral hearing into the proposed Dublin Incinerator.

Where: Outside the Gresham Hotel, O Connell St
When: 9.30am This morning Monday April 14th 2008

Frances Corr of CRAI speaking at the protest said:
“The proposed mass-burn Dublin Incinerator is a flawed, dangerous, extravagant and a totally unsuitable solution to the waste management of the Dublin region. The site is completely unsuitable. We will show at this EPA Oral Hearing that the EPA must refuse this licence in order to achieve sustainable development. The proposed incinerator will require guaranteeing a waste stream and tip fee contract which mitigates against recycling, reuse and reduce principles.
The Draft EPA licence stated that all waste should be pre-treated to remove the waste that should be recycled and in fact DCC is objecting to this, and other, conditions. This demonstrates that DCC want a mass burn incinerator that will treat 600,000 metric tons of waste in order to make it economical for the private partners Covanta/Dong.”

Furthermore, CRAI is asking Minister Gormley to expand on his recent statements that incineration is no longer government policy and clearly define what will replace incineration. If this were known the campaign believes it would be a matter of considerable influence on the outcome of this oral hearing,
Recently issued figures for predicted waste disposal in the Country appear to show that, if alternative modern technologies are adopted, the total available national supply of residual waste for incineration would be of the order of 627,000 tonnes. We are asking the Minister to confirm this figure and state what proposals are before him to introduce these technologies.
Clearly if this figure is correct the required capacity of the proposed Dublin incinerator has been seriously overstated and, therefore, if the policy is implemented it would lead to the incinerator becoming redundant.

For information contact:
Frances Corr:0877715825
May Kane:0876994279
Rory Hearne: 0861523542