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WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL has approved a temporary increase of an additional 40,000 tonnes of waste for the Ballynagran landfill – branded by an environmental agency as the “worst in the state”.
According to a letter circulated by the council’s CEO Bryan Doyle, the increase will bring the annual intake this year to 190,000 tonnes – 40,000 tonnes above the maximum tonnage under planning conditions.
This addition has come about because of an “emergency situation” as the landfill at Drehid in Co Kildare has exceeded its annual Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) licence capacity (set at 150,000 tonnes).
In the circulated letter, Doyle says:
“Over the course of the last week there have been extensive discussions between various regulatory authorities in seeking solutions to address the difficulties and to avoid the very real prospect of commercial and household waste being left uncollected at the kerbside…
“…it soon became apparent that Knockharley in Meath and Ballynagran in Wicklow are the only two active landfills where such a capacity exists and which would be capable of taking in the suggested shortfall of up on 120,000 tonnes before year end.”
Doyle also pointed out that the EPA recognised the “serious nature of the situation”, and allowed the volume at the site to be increased temporarily.
Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow/East Carlow John Brady however, has described plans as extremely alarming:
“Clearly, this emergency situation was seen coming, but there was a failure to put in place any plans to deal with it and now Wicklow will become a dumping ground because of this failure.”
We know that Ballynagran landfill is already rated by the EPA as the worst dump in the State. Rather than doing something to change this, we will see thousands of additional waste instead.
“It’s concerning that this decision has been agreed with no consultation with locals or public representatives whatsoever.
I am aware of a family who had no option but to leave their own home one year ago and haven’t been able to return since because of the odour.
He said that the letter had been “circulated late Friday evening without any warning” and that locals should have been notified of the emergency situation “a long time ago”.
“Wicklow County Council have not taken into the account the legitimate concerns of locals and instead are about to make a bad situation much worse.”
There are approximately 25 landfill sites operating across Ireland.
According to the EPA, municipal waste generated per capita has decreased by 24% over the period 2007 to 2012, from 0.78 tonnes of waste generated per person in 2007, to 0.59 tonnes in 2012.
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Which landfill is the nicest in the state?
Gortadroma was fantastic but the council closed it
@Neal, not Neil.: NIMBY – typical response by (fill in blank) rent-a-mouth politician.
There is an alternative. We could massacre everybody in Kildare. Some might find that a little extreme however. Johnny Brady as a Shinner might have some useful tips on how we could pull it off though.
Glass houses robespierre!
Are they waiting for the incinerator to open ?
….now, if only there was a method of disposing waste in an efficient manner, in a compact (internal) space, and which had a by-product of energy or heat production……………oh, wait, yeah. Nah, can’t have that. Much better to FU the landscape instead.
Muppets.
@John Moylan: Is it that you are unaware of the 600,000 tonne incineration facility currently in build at Ringsend? Or is it that it was just too good an opportunity to have a go at someone or something?
Well sure our waste has to go somewhere and everyone going to say not in my back yard.
@mickmc:
And what if a family has to leave their home. Because of toxic gas entering their home. They will have a lovely Christmas. They are Homless
Ah well sure at least it not my house.
The garden of Ireland is being used as a dump…yup, that pretty much sums up Ireland..
What a space of waste
Surely it’s a space of waste.
A good place for shooting rats
What did I just read there? The whole article doesn’t make sense? I thought there was only 7 open landfills in Ireland?
What about halting sites?
Well that’s a load of rubbish.
Hate to say this, but ever since the incident this year, where the goverment/local council or who ever the phek it is that stuck there noise into the pricing of disposing of waste. Decided it a good idea to try charge me for recycling waste, I am basically like (and I hate to say this) I couldn’t give two fúcks about what goes into the black bin. Whats the point, I am just going to get a price hike next year. I’m sure I am not alone on this and this is the result, along with privatization of the service, the waste service in Ireland is a mess.
Because some of what goes into the green bin does get recycled and avoids landfill. Do you presume 100% of the green bin is useful or has a recycle value. Thank the Chinese for wanting plastic and lots if cheap shipping to Asia or your bin charges would be alot higher. All black bin stuff is landfilled and its expensive to dispose of it correctly and don’t see you offering to be a landfill site. We all moaned about the incinerator yet rubbish has to go somewhere and there is finite space. Want to cut your waste bill? Cut the amount you bin, simple
Jack Raynors gonna be p1ssed xD.
That’s not fair?wicklow gets everything and the rest of us get nothing!
have your say