Madam, – I wish to correct some of the inaccurate claims made by the Irish Waste Management Association’s spokesman, Brendan Keane (Opinion, April 12th). Covanta’s Waste-to-Energy plant at Poolbeg will take household and business waste from the Dublin area that is currently sent to landfill and use it as a fuel to generate electricity and district heating for Ireland. This is a viable “green” energy alternative to fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Our plant will reduce the cost of waste disposal in the country and it will complement Dublin’s admirable 60 per cent recycling target. It will create 500 construction jobs over three years and quality, high-paid jobs thereafter, and help economic recovery. Through our Community Gain programme, we will pump millions of euro into local projects and organisations.
Ireland has a mature and market-driven economy. Our solution was selected and approved (as a result of a tendering and planning period lasting almost 10 years) because it was judged by Dublin City Council, Bord Pleanála, the EPA and the Government to be the best solution.
Over the same 10 years, the IWMA has failed to deliver modern, cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions to the extent that Ireland is now on the eve of facing massive EU fines for treating its waste in an inappropriate manner (landfilling).
With regard to the two of 41 Waste-from-Energy plants operated by Covanta in the United States referenced by Mr Keane’s article, there is absolutely no link between the financial challenges of the Harrisburg municipal authority and Covanta’s operation of that facility; nor is there any truth to the statement that the Lake County facility has somehow reduced local recycling rates. Lake County has not scaled back its recycling programme. On the contrary, it has recently increased its capability to accept, separate and/or process more materials. We have an excellent working relationship with these, and all, our council clients.
Even a cursory investigation by Mr Keane would have confirmed these facts. Sour grapes and misrepresentation by those trying to obviate the rigorous route that the Poolbeg project has been through threatens Ireland’s international reputation and could put further inward investment projects at grave risk. – Yours, etc,