Landfill Plans Bite the Dust in Lusk, Ireland

14 December 2011

Fingal County Council in Ireland has cancelled plans to proceed with the development of a one of Europe's largest landfill sites located in Lusk.

The proposed 210 hectare facility had been expected to cost in the region of 100 million Euro and was being developed on behalf of all four Dublin local authorities, with Fingal County Council taking the lead.

According to a report in The Irish Times, Fingal County Council has spent some 32.7 million Euro on the project over the past 14 years and for the project to proceed it would have been required to stump up an additional 45 million Euro in land development costs immediately.

However, the spokeswoman said the regulatory and financial case for the plan had changed since it was first proposed in 1997.

The Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) has said that the decision by Fithe council to cancel plans to proceed with a planned landfill at Lusk, has highlighted the need to re-examine other proposed waste developments in light of Ireland's changed economic circumstances and developments in the waste sector.

In particular, the IWMA said that the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg should be re-examined as a matter of utmost priority by the four Dublin local authorities.

With regard to the proposed Poolbeg incinerator, Dublin City Council recently confirmed that it had spent 34 million Euros on this project - however, according to the IWMA the combined spending by the four Dublin local authorities on this project is estimated at least 120 million Euros to date..

In addition, the association said that Dublin City Council plans to spend a further 9 million Euros on the project next year.

"Today's Lusk decision should now focus attention on other developments which were planned in a different Ireland," said Jim Kells, chairperson of the IWMA.

"The proposed Poolbeg facility should be re-examined as a matter of utmost priority in light of both Ireland's changed economic circumstances and developments in the waste sector. Waste to energy must certainly be part of the approach to how we manage waste in Ireland, but must be appropriately sized in the waste market," he added.


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