asked the Minister for the Environment the current relative costings between a containment site and a municipal incinerator; and the possibility of such a facility being shared among adjacent local authorities.

I am advised that the disposal of domestic waste by incineration is at least five times as costly as disposal by landfill. The relative costings of a containment site and a municipal incinerator would of course be governed by the size and location of the facilities as well as the types of wastes to be accommodated.

There is no reason why disposal facilities should not be shared by local authorities. The scheme of grants to local authorities for co-disposal of domestic and industrial wastes was based on the concept of disposal facilities being available on a regional basis.