Limerick City and County Council has lodged an objection to the EPA licence granted to Irish Cement to allow the co-incineration of waste at the Mungret plant.
Limerick City and County Council had originally made a detailed submission on the licence application, raising questions on multiple issues, in particular they questioned the need to impose a limit on emissions.
The Total Organic Carbon (TOC) limit was originally specified at 10mg/Nm3 in Annex VI but the limit proposed is 40mg/Nm3
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Michael Sheahan welcomed the objection. “I think it is very important that Limerick City and County Council objects to the licence being granted. It is important that members of the public can have confidence in the regulator to properly oversee the facility at Mungret,” the Mayor said.
It is understood that it is not unusual for cement factories in Ireland to go over their TOC limits but with that being said, Irish Cement have failed to explain the reasoning for this derogation.
Limerick City and County Council intend to object to this condition of the proposed licence as they are seeking a detailed explanation and transparency surrounding why this derogation is necessary.
Given the level of public interest in, and concern about, the proposed co-incineration of waste at this facility, Limerick City and County Council will also be requesting that an oral hearing be held.
This development comes not long after the ‘March for Our Lives’ protest held in Limerick on Saturday, October 5 where an estimated 6,000 people marched in an attempt to “Speak with their feet” and show the EPA they will not accept this.
Greg O’Shea, the Limerick native, and Love Island 2019 winner, showed his support on the day, saying, “Hopefully we can all get together now and stop this, save Limerick and keep it green.”
