All the waste of the West: Superdumps in east Galway

by Curious Thu Nov 04, 2004 16:59

Has our ol' sparring Green buddie NOB gone to ground since being elected?
Is he involved in any real campaiging or is it all pure electoralism?
(Not related but why did he support Dana?)

by Michael Hennigan Fri Nov 05, 2004 12:14

Quote: 'Her platform was that whoever you vote for it doesn’t matter, as they don’t have the power, drawing attention to the fact that the Waste Management Act has removed powers over waste from the elected councils and given them to the centrally appointed county manager.

She is now attempting to mount a legal challenge on the constitutionality of this act.'

We have seen from places like Kerry and Wicklow, that even with the limited powers available to council members, how they operate. Any suggestion that they should have more control of planning and waste management can't be taken seriously.

Quote: 'Niamh Clune of the Zero Waste Alliance spoke...outlining the alliance’s alternative to landfill and incinerators. This is for ‘resource recovery parks’ wherein 90% of waste is recycled locally (as opposed to exported to China), and the rest treated.'

What happens when resident associations object to recycling plants in their backyard?

What are the economics of these resource parks/recycling plants? What would the cost of public subsidies be to make the recycled material competitive??

by A sensible view Fri Nov 05, 2004 12:37

Yeah, but what are the economic costs of landfill and incinerators that can pollute the surface water and subsurface water around for literally miles and threaten the long term health of the people and contaminate the soil on which they depend and then subsequent pollution of the marine environment and sediments where the leachate ends up.

The answer at the moment is zero, because our system doesn't factor these in.

Damn right that there should be resource parks. Not only that we should phase out plastic bottles, bring back glass bottling WITH a deposit system, introduce a deposit system for cans. Each household should be given a compost bin, a levy should be put on excessive packaging. There should be deposit introduced for batteries, since these particularly that are a great source of contamination of toxic/heavy metals in the domestic waste stream.

Of course there is no chance of this happening, because the government has insured through the so called 'Protection of the Environment' Act, that no council even if it wanted to can introduce these initiatives. The act should have been called the 'Protection of the Polluter' act

by A realistic view Fri Nov 05, 2004 13:36

As someone who works in the watse management area, and also has the deepest respect for our environment, I daily see the contradictory nature of local opposition towards all types of waste management facilities. The root of the problem is the amount of waste that we are producing as a society. There is absolutely no point in opposing the development of facilities such as landfills, incinerators etc., unless we are completely committed to fundamentally changing the way our society goes about its daily business. When a facility such as the one being talked about here is proposed, it takes very little time for a local opposition group to be formed and start objecting to its development. And groups such as the Zero Waste Alliance are quick to lend their support. I completely support the idea of a zero waste society, but it very unlikely that this is going to happen in the forseeable future How are we going to recycle hugh amounts of waste such as cardboard and plastic locally? Any community has only got a certain amount that they can practically use. We consume absolutely massive amounts of products that have even more packaging associated with them. There is no way that the local community around where this landfill is earmarked for could use locally the packaging that they produce. The fact is that the way in which this society lives requires us to have facilities such as landfills and incinerators to enable us to deal with the amount of waste that we produce. It has to be also pointed out that over the last ten years, hugh steps with regard to ensuring that these faclities have as little impact on the environment as possible. They are very strictly monitored, and the emissions allowed from them are calculated before their commission to ensure they do not damage the environment. Most engineered landfills that have been constructed recently are absolutely amazing in the way in which they deal with both the methane emissions and the leachate produced. The methane is not allowed to escape to the atmosphere to add to our greenhouse woes, but is used as a fuel to power turbines that produce electricity, and the leachate is gathered, and treated before disposal. We are quick to believe the producers of consumer goods when they say that they have made the products with our best interests at heart, and so we go out and buy them(what is Nutrilium any way, and does it really make my hair shinier), but yet we are slow to believe those who try to ensure that the waste that we generate does not harm us. The first have a vested interest in promoting their goods and getting us to but them, yet the people who try to convince us that they are trying to ensure that the leachate from the landfill will not affect the water in the area are just doing their job, and not making massive amounts of money from doing it. So unless we can change our society from one that is consuming itself off the face of the planet to one that has respect for its resources, then we should stop to think where the wastes that Joe Public is generating will go. Even if all the people who are involved with these campaigns were to start using cloth nappies, galss bottles and mended all their own clothes, we would still need somewhere to put the waste generated by the other less conscientious citizens.
There are of course problems associated with these facilities ie traffic, asthetic impact, POTENTIAL adverse environmental effects etc. but these have to be weighed against the immediate alternative, which is no landfill space, and waste building up all over the place. Waste production must be decreased as soon as possible, but with the way our economy and society is going, its a long way off becoming a zero waste one. I know to advocate the use of incinerators is to invite all sorts of abuse and allegations of abuse of the environment, but when run properly, as all newly commissioned ones would surely be, they would be of massive benefit to all of us. But thats a comment for a different day. As for landfills, they are essential, right here, right now.

by Vercingetorix Tue Jan 03, 2006 17:59

The following extracts are from an e-mail dated January 3rd 2006 to Lt. Col. Richard Finnerty (US Air Force ret.) of Honolulu, Hawaii:

'I personally don't think it's much of an "answer" for Minister McDowell to just very firmly "bury his head in the sand" regarding such an extremely important issue - even an ostrich with a much smaller brain than Minister McDowell's can easily manage that kind of response.'  

'Such a response is fine for an ostrich I believe; but, a Minister for Justice who takes up that kind of position, regarding such a basic legal issue, fully deserves an almighty good kick up the backside (in my view). Sooner or later, and in one way or another, my hope is that Minister McDowell will get just that. He is in just the right position for it now; he fully deserves it (as far as I'm concerned); and, the sooner he gets it the better this world will be.' 

'At this stage, I do not have the slightest doubt in my mind that you can provide me with any amount of wonderful explanations and excuses as to why Northern Ireland Justice Minister Hanson MP, and several other such people, are "acting the ostrich" regarding my particular set of issues (which include major violations of the Constitution of Ireland don't forget): but, can you provide me with just one good reason as to why they are ALL behaving in this way? (Some of the Constitutional issues, which Minister McDowell knows all about, because the e-mail at the following address was copied to him, can be seen at http://www.annmariekelly.org/LegalAidApplication/3November2004.htm )'

'Without wishing to be in any way disrespectful towards you, please note it is a matter of fact that I can go to any "public house" or "bar room" in Ireland, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, and get hundreds and thousands of the kind of brilliant excuses and explanations you have been providing me with so far regarding the wholly avoidable and unlawful mental torture I'm being put through (for several years now): at the hands of people like Minister for Justice McDowell and all those who support him - both here in Ireland, and in the United States of America. (Minister McDowell is a big fan of President George W. Bush I gather - and visa versa no doubt?)'

The full text of the e-mail containing the above quotations can be viewed at:
http://www.constitutionofireland.com/RichardFinnerty3January2006/Email.htm