Ireland must break landfill cycle

Ireland's use of landfill sites could cause the country to be continually fined by the EU in the future, the editor of Science Spin magazine has said.


Writing for the Times Online, Sean Duke highlighted the point that although not the best option, incineration is still viable and a better option for the environment than landfill.

“The EU has set a recycling target of 50% for member states by 2020,” Mr Duke highlighted.

“It is getting progressively more difficult for Ireland to increase its rate of recycling.”

He also noted that the Flanders region of Belgium, despite being a world leader in recycling, still needs a good incineration capacity.

According to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Ireland must meet international commitments on air emissions and provide good waste management to create a “good quality of life”.

They also name climate change as “the most serious and threatening global environmental problem”.

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