Incineration as a sustainable municipal waste management option for Dublin

Abstract

The management o f Dublin’s municipal waste is currently undergoing a period o f transformation, as landfill is no longer the cheap and acceptable option that it has been for many years. Changing our Ways, DoELG (1998) recognised that one o f the key priorities for Ireland’s waste management regime was to reduce its reliance on landfill as it “limited the development o f integrated waste management approaches (and) inhibited waste recovery and recycling options”. Since 2001, Ireland’s performance in waste management has improved, with recycling levels tripled and a recycling waste collection service in operation during that period. However, landfill is still the only method o f disposal o f municipal waste utilised in Dublin and Ireland with this resulting in a chronic strain on the landfills accepting waste. Landfill is at the bottom o f the waste management hierarchy, and this should be reflected in how Dublin’s waste is managed. The scope o f this dissertation is to focus on the management o f municipal waste in the Dublin region, and to determine whether the introduction o f incineration as a management tool will be sustainable and beneficial to the region. The management o f waste is a key factor in sustainable development. Sustainable waste management has many impacts and these need to be considered in terms o f the role incineration can play in the Dublin region.