There was mixed reaction today in Galway following last night's vote by Galway Corporation to adopt the Connacht Draft Waste Management Plan under which a controversial incinerator is due to be built on the city's outskirts.
The proposal was carried by one vote. Following a two-hour debate councillors voted eight to seven in favour of the plan, thereby overturning their unanimous decision to reject it last year.
The Fine Gael TD Mr Pádraic McCormack has said that if incineration was wrong six months ago then it is still wrong now.
Four Fianna Fáil and four PD councillors voted in favour of the draft plan with one Fianna Fáil member, Senator Margaret Cox, voting against, along with the four Fine Gael and two Labour Party corporation members.
The councillors have sought the right to make technical variations to the draft plan at a later date. In its current state, it lists four possible incinerator sites near Galway city.
Environmentalists have pledged to oppose the incinerator at every stage of the planning process. They say it will become a major issue for Galway voters at the next general election.
The decision was welcomed by the Institute of Engineers of Ireland. Its director general Mr Paddy Purcell said incineration was one of the most environmentally friendly ways of dealing with a limited amount of waste.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland, Mr Purcell said a national agency similar to the National Roads Authority was the most appropriate mechanism for dealing with the problem.