Oxigen, the company behind Cavan Waste Disposal, has requested permission for a new plant on the site of an existing landfill which would deal with biological waste.

Peter McLoughlin, Oxigen managing director, told the Anglo-Celt newspaper that waste arriving at the site would first pass through a recycling centre to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Biological waste would be processed in three large buildings of about 6,000 square metres each, which would be set back from the road.

“It’s a completely natural process. You can look at it as composting by means of accelerating the breakdown of materials by pumping air through,” he said.

“This will be done in large sealed concrete containers, housed in a sealed building.”

Mr McLoughlin added: “Existing facilities can deal with about 50,000 tonnes a year but the EU requirement suggests that we have to be able to process 200,000 tonnes by 2010.”

“The 1999 Directive on the Landfill of Waste requires the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill to be reduced to 75% of 1995 levels and to 35% of 1997 levels by 2020.

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