Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I woke at approximately 7 a.m. on Saturday and I could smell the fumes from the fire. The smell was similar to what one would get if plastic or rubber were burned. I went downstairs to check that there was nothing wrong because I thought the house was on fire. I went back to bed and when I woke later, I heard the news that the Oxigen plant was on fire. Smoke from the fire spread to many surrounding areas, including Inchicore. It made people feel as if their eyes were burning and caused them to choke. People became concerned when they were informed of the need to keep their doors shut, cover their faces, etc. It was not possible to contact the EPA at the weekend. I tried to do so a number of times and was eventually successful yesterday morning. I spoke to a man named Niall - I do not recall his surname - who informed me that it is normal to issue a warning of this nature and that it did not relate to the specific type of waste kept at the plant. When I inquired as to the type waste dealt with at the plant, he said that details could be found on the licence relating to the plant. When I located the licence, I must admit that it was like trying to read gobbledegook. I could not understand what it said at all.

The difficulty is that members of the public do not know what is being housed in plants of this sort. Nor do they know the type of hazardous waste involved, the time limit relating to its retention, to where it is moved or how this is done. That is the problem with private waste companies. People who live in built-up areas adjacent to these waste plants have many concerns. There are huge questions with regard to the Thorntons plant in Ballyfermot. During the summer, there are swarms of flies in the area and the smell coming from the plant is dreadful. People do not want jobs to be lost. However, they want any toxic or hazardous materials removed from their areas. Plants should be established outside our cities for the purpose of housing this type of waste. It should not be kept in built-up areas for any period.

There is a need for a public report to be compiled on this matter. That report must be written in plain language and provide details on what was in the Oxigen plant at the time the fire began, on how long it had been there and on the potential damage its being burned could cause. Everything must be put out in the open and questions must arise as to whether the plant should be rebuilt in the area in question and used for purpose for which it has been used up to now. Members of the public should have a say on what is built in the area. These are three matters on which the Minister is probably in a position to intervene and about which he can inform us.

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