The £240 million plant is being proposed by waste management company Indaver and arc21, the umbrella waste management group for six local authorities in the east of Northern Ireland.
Arc21 has previously emphasised the need for the plant, warning that it must be built to avoid a “waste crisis” and the country’s reliance on exporting and landfill (see letsrecycle.com story).
The plant, which would treat up to 300,000 tonnes of waste per year for its region of six councils, is still in planning stages.
‘Real concerns’
The letter, published on 18 May, was written by MPs from the Sinn Féin, Alliance Party and SDLP.
It points out that the current planning application “has well over 5,000 objections”.
It adds that MP’s have “real concerns” that its “outdated design” will be paid for over time through councils’ budgets and ratepayers, despite it being a worthwhile private sector investment.
In accordance with the waste hierarchy, the MPs also argue that “incineration” should only be considered once the option for reuse and recycling has been exhausted.
It adds: “The focus must therefore be upon increasing the quantity and quality of recycling in the first instance before facilities such as the incinerator are considered as a solution”.
Alliance‘s @StephenFarryMP has written an open letter, co-signed by ten other local MPs, to Infrastructure Minister @NicholaMallon as part of the @NotInHightown campaign to stop refuse an application for a waste incinerator in Hightown, Mallusk ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Rj3MRe1NyO
— Alliance Party (@allianceparty) May 18, 2021
Statistics
The letter points to the latest statistics published by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on recycling rates.
It explains that the latest waste management statistics show recycling rates increased to 55%, with targets to reach 65% in 2035 “on track”, without the need for the EfW plant.
It adds: “With EfW capacity already in operation, it is clear that there is no longer a need for a combined MBT and EfW incinerator at this location.
“The consequence of overcapacity of residual waste treatment in the arc21 area would inevitable result in a negative impact upon recycling which would be totally unacceptable and contract to the Waste Framework Directive.”
However last month, executive chairman of Indaver Jon Antrim, pointed out that latest quarterly local authority collected waste statistics show waste volumes to be rising, sparking an “urgent need for robust integrated waste management infrastructure” (see letsrecycle.com story).
He added that while DAERA “rightly celebrates” the increase in EfW, it “doesn’t tell the whole story” as the majority of energy recovery is happening abroad.
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