PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release March 22, 2002

Shocked Aghada Community to BE INCINERATOR guinea pigs!

At last evening’s packed Aghada community meeting on the Indaver's Hazardous Waste Incineration proposals for Ringaskiddy, the audience was shocked at the admission, by Mr. John Aherne, Managing Director Indaver Ireland, that his company had NO experience of the technology they were proposing to use at the Ringaskiddy Incineration plant. The 'fluidised bed' technology which they are proposing has seen a number of failures in the USA. 

When questioned by Mr. Sean Cronin, Chairman CHASE, Mr. Aherne admitted that this would be a learning process for Indaver as none of their existing 3 incinerators in Belgium used this technology.  The shocked audience was very vocal in their reaction to this admission and accused Indaver of having a cavalier attitude to the health risks to the harbour communities.  Mr. Aherne argued that Indaver should be trusted on their existing reputation.

Indaver Ireland was speaking along with a number of Cork County Councillors and representatives of East Cork for a Safe Environment (a member of CHASE).  Councillors Ted Murphy, John Mulvihill and Noel Collins all spoke out strongly against the proposal stating that the risks to health and the negative impacts on the environment has led them to a position of opposition of the proposal.  One growing source of concern is the threat to the livelihood of the farming community, and local farmers were outspoken about their concerns that the emissions from an incinerator would damage the quality of their produce as has happened to farmers over the past year in other European countries.  Cllr Noel Collins stated that Cork County Council already has a waste management strategy which does not include incineration and he sees no need to include incineration now.  

 Cllr. Collins also announced the opposition of the Midleton UDC to the project, mirroring the decisions taken by Cobh UDC and Passage Town Commissioners who have already lodged formal objections already lodged with Cork Co. Council.