Ireland shifts away from incineration

Ireland's Environment Minister said in a speech earlier this month that he intends to shift his country's waste management away from reliance on incineration. Noting that existing solid waste management plans will bring "a very substantial over-capacity for incineration," he is asking his staff to explore alternative technologies for pre-treating non-recyclable waste before it goes to landfills. One technology being looked at is mechanical biological treatment (MBT). In this process, non-recyclable waste is composted before being buried in the ground in order to reduce the amount of methane it produces. MBT is one of a suite of measures that will be looked at during a major review of waste policy in the coming year. Gormley is the leader of Ireland's Green Party.