City Council leaves taxpayer ‘high and dry’ with botched incinerator deal - Andrews

Dublin City Council has potentially exposed the taxpayer to millions of euro in compensation to be paid every year to a private US company following its botched and needless plans for an incinerator in Poolbeg, according to local Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews.

Deputy Andrews said: "The reports this morning that the taxpayer could be exposed to between €187 million to €350 million over 25 years as a result of this bungled plan by Dublin City Council are truly astonishing.  The officials at the most senior levels in the council still don’t seem to get it - Dublin does not need this incinerator!"

"I have been opposed to the building of this facility from the start. I do not believe burning as much waste as we can get our hands on is the way of the future and the people of Dublin have effectively agreed with this by embracing recycling in their daily lives."

"The news that the “put-or-pay” clause in the city council’s contract with Covanta could cost as much as €14m a year, on average is stunning and in my view calls into question the city council's authority to enter into such agreements on behalf of citizens."

"It would seem that in return for accepting that a change in behaviour was needed and recycling on a large scale was the way forward that Dublin City Council has decided more is required of the public. Not alone are the residents in my constituency facing being lumbered with an incinerator, they face having to compensate the company involved because we won't be giving them enough waste to burn in our own backyard.  This is utter madness."

"I have not given up on this botched itself deal being 'incinerated'.  The public don't want it, the taxpayer can't afford and it's up to the geniuses in Labour-controlled Dublin City Council to find a way to clean up their own mess and not dump it in the laps of the people of Dublin South East and the taxpayer at large."