The Government has been accused by the Green Party of pushing through an anti-democratic Bill that would impose incineration on communities.
The Waste Management (Amendment) Bill, which is expected to be enacted by the Oireachtas today, could be challenged on constitutional grounds, the Green Party said yesterday.
Mr Trevor Sargent, spokesman on waste, said the Bill, if enacted, would give city or county managers the power to override the views of local communities and their elected councillors.
"It will turn them into virtual dictators," he said, adding that the legislation could be challenged in the courts by councillors or members of the public. A Green Party TD, Mr John Gormley, said the mantra of "reduce, reuse and recycle" would be a token gesture under the new measures. "This Bill is a dump-and-burn policy, dressed up to appear as a recycling strategy. It's about dumping, it's about burying," he said.
"Incineration produces deadly dioxins into the atmosphere, and for every three tonnes of toxic waste burned incinerators are left with one ton of highly toxic ash. There's no free lunch when it comes to incineration," he said.
Asked what should happen to toxic waste that could not be recycled or reused, Mr Sargent said it should not be mixed or burned. It should be stored until the technology was developed to recycle it.
"Industry must be part of a `polluter pays' principle and they must pay their share for producing packaging waste."
Mr Sargent said the food industry would be particularly hit with the introduction of widespread incineration. "This is the end of the green, clean Ireland," he said.
Mr Gormley pointed out that the new Bill included a clause which required the consent of the Government, and not just the Environment Minister, to introduce a charge on plastic bags.
He said the plastic levy charge would not be introduced by the current Government because there was an election looming and it might make it unpopular.
Cllr Eamon Ryan criticised the three-bin system being introduced in Dublin city and said people were paying for an incomplete service as the third bin would not be introduced until late 2002.
