The Minister must introduce best practice to waste management and incorporate public preferences at planning stage, something that is not being done at present. The proposals on incinerators have generated opposition in many areas, as we see from the protests in Cork, Tipperary and Meath. Residents are frightened by serious health concerns, including cancer claims, but the Government has done nothing to allay their fears. The precautionary principle should apply until the Government can give guarantees on the safety of incinerators. The focus of the Minister's thinking must shift from methods to get rid of rubbish to processes that will prevent wastage and conserve natural resources. To achieve this he must focus on the upper part of the EU waste hierarchy which states that prevention and minimisation of waste should be followed by re-use, repair and recycling.