WORK HAS BEGUN at the €600 million waste incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin with a march against the project due to take place tomorrow.

Last month, councillors were informed that Dublin City Council had signed the contract with US energy company Covanta to start work at the site.

Construction is due to take approximately three years with a target of late 2017 for beginning operations.

Local councillor Daithí Doolan has called the beginning of the work a “travesty to democracy” stating that local representatives were given an mandate in May to oppose the incinerator plan.

Local residents backed by councillors will tomorrow march from Ringsend Church to the Dáil asking that the plan be scrapped in its current form.

Its envisaged that the facility will burn 600,000 metric tonnes of waste per year with opponents arguing that the scale of the project is too big and is environmentally unfriendly.

Doolan says that “even at this late stage” Dublin City Council CEO Owen Keegan should reverse the decision adding that this is an issue for “the whole of Dublin”.

Over €100 million has already been spent on the project by the four Dublin local authorities.

The completion cost is estimated at €500 million funded by a combination of third party financing (€375 million) and project equity invested by Covanta (approximately €125 million).

Protesters are planning to assemble at Ringsend Church tomorrow at 5pm before march to the Dáil for 6pm.

Read: Councillors receive official notice of Poolbeg incinerator contract – 3 days after it was signed >

Read: Councillors surprised and shocked to hear work will begin soon on Poolbeg incinerator >