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Government must act now to avoid significant EU waste fines
Independent report outlines solutions to waste problem
Immediate action needs to be taken by Government to ensure the development of infrastructure necessary to deal with Ireland's biodegradable waste and to avoid EU fines of up to €270m per year for failing to tackle the problem, according to a new independent report Meeting Ireland's Waste Targets: The Role of MBT launched today (28 February) by leading European environmental consultants Eunomia in association with Irish firm TOBIN Consulting Engineers.
Commissioned by Greenstar, the report identifies Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) as the only internationally proven technology solution that can play a major role in helping Ireland meet its EU waste targets before the deadline of 2010 and outlines the concrete steps that need to be taken. However, the report finds that there is a dearth of necessary policies, regulations and incentives to enable MBT to play this role due to Ireland's singular focus on incineration as the only solution to its waste problem for over ten years. Despite this fact, no incinerator has yet been built and, according to the report, the earliest one could now come on line is several years after the initial EU deadline has passed.
The report states that unless the Government takes immediate action to encourage the development of MBT, Ireland is virtually certain to fail to meet its EU targets in 2010 and to struggle to meet subsequent targets in 2013 and 2016. Furthermore, Ireland needs to ask why it wants to lock itself into a costly and inflexible incineration-led system when it has the opportunity to learn from its European neighbours and adopt more progressive, modern, environmentally and economically sound solutions such as MBT.
Commenting on the report, its author Dr Dominic Hogg, Director and founder of Eunomia, said: "Time is not a luxury if Ireland is serious about tackling its biodegradable waste problem. If Ireland is to avoid paying fines to the EU from 2010, possibly as much as €270m a year, the Government must take action to create the rules and regulations that will enable the widespread introduction of MBT.
Our analysis suggests that MBT is the only technology that can be brought online in time to affect the 2010 deadline. In addition, the modular, flexible nature of MBT means it can be deployed across the country on an appropriate scale and it can even be adjusted to respond to changing needs down the line. Ireland needs to take definitive action now, not just to avoid EU fines but also to ensure that it is using the most appropriate solution to its current circumstances."
Commenting, Steve Cowman, Chief Executive of Greenstar, said: "Ireland needs to stop sitting on its hands and recognise that we have backed the wrong horse if we are looking to incineration to provide a solution before 2010. We are today calling on the Government to take immediate and decisive steps towards the technologies that offer us flexibility, environmental benefits, and the best practice currently available. Dr Hogg's report provides the blueprint for taking affirmative action now to introduce MBT, which has the additional benefits of addressing Ireland's current over-reliance on landfill and is compatible with increased recycling rates.
It is also time to bring certainty to the waste sector so that private companies can invest in critical waste infrastructure as envisioned by the National Development Plan and bring Ireland into the 21st century. Greenstar has earmarked over €100m for investment in MBT in the next three years but the current policy environment does not support our investing it. If the Government acts, so too will the private sector."
Key recommendations of the report are:
- Decision time. If Ireland is serious about meeting the Landfill Directive targets, it needs to make a clear decision now on how it intends to do this.
- MBT can play a major role in meeting these targets and will leave Ireland with an efficient, flexible, long-term solution.
- If MBT is to be a part of the solution, clear rules and regulations, such as standards for stabilised waste, need to be put in place to enable investors to make decisions on how to invest in new facilities with confidence. These rules should be based on tried and tested approaches taken in other EU countries that have been successful using MBT.
- The most effective lever the Government has is the levy it can place on each tonne of waste. The report recommends that a range of levies be announced now for implementation in late 2009 / early 2010 in order to incentivise the development of MBT facilities. Specifically, it advises a €75 levy on untreated waste going to landfill and a €55 levy on waste sent for incineration. Crucially a €15 levy on waste that has been through MBT and is then sent for landfill is also recommended as part of this package. This is because treated waste sent to landfill, being stabilised and far less environmentally damaging, would not count against Ireland's obligations under the Landfill Directive.
Dr. Hogg is also the author of the complementary report "Waste Policy, Planning and Regulation in Ireland", which was written in association with TOBIN Consulting Engineers and commissioned last year by Greenstar for the purpose of stimulating debate and informing policy decisions on key issues confronting Irish waste management.
For a full copy of the report please download Meeting Ireland's Waste Targets - the Role of MBT PDF 2236KB
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