Cullen's propaganda, first the Bin Tax then Incineration

national | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report

Thursday October 23, 2003 16:02

by Pax

See the examiner story linked and pasted below for how incineration plants are "are earmarked for the south-east, Connacht, the north-east, Dublin, the midlands, and in the Limerick-Clare-Kerry region.", so not only in Cork and Meath then.

Recycle me arse! not only do we have this punitive and unfair bin charge on the sector producing 15% of the waste, but the entirety of the waste will end up in smoke.

Indaver Ireland have already said that they intend to import waste from the north or abroad for the Cork plant, the Ringaskiddy port access is perfect for this. Will we see the same for the rest of the plants across the country?.

Certainly if waste is to be reduced private operators will need to find waste to make a profit, which goes completely against the principle of reduce, reuse, recycle. Cullen will probably save Dublin for last again, on incineration like the bin tax, so as to use the ridiculous "but sure we've already been (bin) payin it already" Dublin Vs the rest of the Country argument.

http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/ireland/Full_Story/did-sgqiS1yakqYBEsg7OWirIStPSk.asp

and copied and pasted below

23/10/03
Cullen plans to fast-track building of incinerators

By Harry McGee
ENVIRONMENT Minister Martin Cullen plans to fast-track the construction of municipal waste incinerators around the country by the end of the Government’s term in 2007.

Mr Cullen aims to introduce the incinerators under the proposed National Infrastructure Board (NIB). Seven incinerators are planned under regional waste management strategies but those that have reached the planning stages have become bogged down in the planning process because of fierce local objections.

Department sources confirmed to the Irish Examiner yesterday that the minister’s view of Ireland’s growing waste management problem was “realistic” and that urgent action was need to replace municipal land-fills, most of which will have reached capacity by 2006.

In terms of where Ireland stood on waste-management in European terms, the source said: “We are in the relegation zone. We need to do something about it quickly.”

While remaining tight-lipped on the planned structure and functions of the NIB yesterday, the minister reiterated his view that emissions from thermal-treatment plans comprised less than 2% of dioxins in the atmosphere, a level that was less harmful than dioxins emitted by bonfires on Hallowe’en night.

Mr Cullen favours a limited number of high-tech thermal treatment facilities around the country.

So far, one municipal plant in Co Meath, run by private company Indaver, has received permission while another in Ringaskiddy is currently in the planning process.

Under the regional plans, further plants are earmarked for the south-east, Connacht, the north-east, Dublin, the midlands, and in the Limerick-Clare-Kerry region.

The minister was speaking at the launch of the Office of Environment Enforcement (OEE) yesterday and also promised that he would target the “quick-buck” merchants who flouted environmental laws.

The OEE, with 70 staff, will be a unit of the Environmental Protection Agency that will enforce waste and pollution control licences, supervise the environmental performances of local authorities and have power to prosecute for licence breaches and illegal dumping.

The 2003 Environment Act substantially increases the maximum fines of 15m for environmental pollution. Significantly, it also provides for a reversal of the burden of proof, leaving the defendant to prove that an activity did not cause environmental pollution.

Also, for the first time, landowners can be deemed to be complicit in illegal dumping on their land unless they can prove otherwise.

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Comments (7 of 7)

incinerators will face resistance throughout the country

by random input

Thu Oct 23, 2003 16:10

the bin tax protestors should look at making links with local anti-incinerator groups around the country. It is the same fight, and such links will do a lot to undermine the govt's attempts to cut across support for the campaign by pitting "dublin against the countryside".

As for the 2% claim, where does that figure come from, and would anyone care to refute with other data?

What are the Greens going...

by Very Anonymous

Thu Oct 23, 2003 16:51

...to do about it? Niall of the Greens stated previously that they would try to be part of a government that categorically ruled out incineration. Since such a government couldn't be formed before 2007 if the Dail runs it full course - where does that leaves the greens given that these incinerators will be up an running by 2007? Direct Action? Court challanges? What strategy do they have to DEFEAT the imposition of incineration as opposed to taking the high moral ground of opposing incineration? Would like to see what they intend to do.

IMC 2 years old - Modest Proposal

by longtime imcer

Thu Oct 23, 2003 22:38

Time to make it a bit more interesting around here? I think so.

If a coherent and well thought out list of questions appears on this thread for The Greens on the subject of their attitude to the bin charges campaign and their plans to oppose incineration - I'll submit them to whoever is the environment spokesman for the Greens together with a link to this thread so they can see what the concerns of the 'audience' here are.

Perhaps we can begin conducting lots of interviews in this way - by e-mail and reply and publish the things unedited.

Readers/contributors will get their questions awnsered - activist 'faces' and left green anarko socialist republican politicians will get a platform to put their views into the public domain without the usual media editorial filters.

They can then get involved in dialogue if they want-

And of course it'll be interesting to see who enters into the spirit of open publishing and who does not.

What d'yiz think?

My question for the Greens:

by Phuq Hedd

Fri Oct 24, 2003 00:20

QUESTION1: How do you propose to effect significant environmental change if you cannot persuade the working class [*] that the mechanisms that you propose are just?

* definition of working class: anyone that receives a wage in return for their labour (both physical and mental).

QUESTION2: Do you accept that the current implementation of the Bin Tax unjustly penalizes a section of the working-class because the tax is a fixed size which is a greater proportion of their income than of richer people?

QUESTION3: What does the Green Party propose to do in order to stop the ongoing violation of Ireland's neutrality?

QUESTION4: Given the long series of compromises on fundamental matters of principle that Green politicians have made when they've entered power (e.g. nuclear weapons in Germany) will Green politicians in Ireland sign a contract under which they can be recalled and expelled if they do not live up to election promises?

Eh...

Fri Oct 24, 2003 15:54

....any Greens out there at all - have yis nuttin' to say?

Bin Tax is about keeping waste volumes up to supply incinerators.

by another anonymous person

Fri Oct 24, 2003 18:19

I smell another corruption scandal here in this whole sorry saga. This bin tax is not about reducing waste nor is it anything to do with recycling.

There has been no levy on excessive packaging. Why, because the government need to ensure a steady stream of waste exists so as to make the new waste industry profitable and to ensure there is enough waste to supply the incinerators.

The recycling infrastructure is a sick sad joke. It is setup to fail. You can't have recycling and incineration at the same time, because they both bid for the same waste.

We know the waste business is already mired in corruption ala, the 80 or so illegal toxic waste dumps in Wicklow. Councillors and other officials have already been implicated in this.

The waste industry will be worth millions, so will the incinerators. It is beyond any shadow of doubt given the recent history of this country that there is NOT some kind of malpractice going on here.

Answers?

by Niall ÓB - Greens

Tue Oct 28, 2003 17:40

To Very Anonymous

Opposing incineration is of fundamental importance to the Greens (this is not the case with waste charges). We will do everything we possibly can to prevent it.

To Phuq Hedd

1. We must try to persuade the working class that our policies are just. By your definition most Greens are working class people.

2. Yes in the case of flat rate charges.

3. Campaign for a referendum on neutrality.

4. I'm sure that most Greens would be happy to sign such a contract. Who would be the judge of it though?

To another very amonymous person.

This is a point that many of us have been making for a very long time. This has led to enormous frustratation at the fact that many bin tax campaigners are unwilling to look at the waste issue as a whole.

Who wants to pay out hard cash if it can be avoided?

The Greens are not in Government and have nothing to gain politically from supporting any form of waste charges.

However, a point that many people seem to be missing is that if waste isn't properly managed that people can die.

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Cullen's propaganda, first the Bin Tax then Incineration

Comments (7 of 7)