Louth county councillors have postponed a decision on whether to adopt a regional waste management plan that would include provision for incineration.
The draft waste management plan for the north-east, prepared by consultants M.C. O'Sullivan, has already been adopted by Meath, Cavan and Monaghan County Councils.
The plan proposes to dispose of 38.9 per cent of waste through thermal treatment, to increase recycling to 43 per cent and reduce the amount going to landfill to 18.1 per cent.
A petition of 20,000 signatures, which was collected by a local lobby group, Louth People Against Incineration, was handed to the council before a debate on the issue yesterday.
The county secretary, Mr Joe Boland, told the meeting that rejecting incineration of waste would lead to rejecting the entire plan and would have implications for the other counties in the region as well as for Co Louth. Following lengthy debate, councillors deferred their decision pending legal advice on whether or not they could adopt the plan without provision for thermal treatment.