Andre Ventor’s Comment on the Poolbeg Incineration December 8, 2008

Seems strange when the very notion that the background to the programme for the Dublin/Poolbeg incineration project has been faulted all the way and that the Dublin Councils their engineers and consulting advisors have misunderstood that it is environmentally unacceptable and equally totally unaffordable.

The notion that Dublin which currently produces twice the quantity of waste per capita compared to say London or New York will remain doing this is a fallacy beyond comprehension. When the reality is understood and the implications of costs that are borne by the tax payer [you and me] the public will adjust its habits: I have done so already and now in my household [2 adults and 3 children, ages 5, 14 and 17] we are down to one black bag of waste a week and a total weight of 800kg per year, this is well below the headline figures posted in the Waste Management Report!

More importantly though is the fact that the project cannot be afforded by the Tax Payers. Just remind yourselves the following facts that have been well published. This programme has a Budget cost of €250+million and that was in 2005 before newer legislation was added – that will add a further €150million to it. Thus it means that for each Dublin area resident we will be paying €500 just to have it built. Then the running costs and financing and subsidies will add a further €160 a year to this. That means from 2014 onwards each resident will be paying for this project at the rate of €250 per year Man Woman Child and Pensioner! That means €1500 per tax payer each year for the next 40 years! Affordable phooey!

But we do have an opportunity to address this moving to a newer technology such as suggested by Daniel Hayes at the University of Limerick and the biorefinery option also suggested by Dominic Hogg at Eunomia with Ethanol. Even Senator O’Toole seems to have a better grasp at this than most. That as stated elsewhere neednot cost the the payer anything. So Government and the Green Party must change policy or reap the benefits.

Thanks again to Andre. I know my blog is a lot of my own ramblings and complaints but I do enjoy a serious comment or two like this one. So if you have something similar you would like to see posted on Opinion World, comment me and I will review for language and offences etc and if I like it I’ll post it. Easy.