State to pay millions to clean illegal dumps in the north

[Lionel Ritchie]

FROM RTE

The Government will have to pay millions of euro to clean up 250,000 tonnes of waste in 20 illegal dumps in Northern Ireland.

Large quantities of waste from the Republic has been found in illegal dumping sites in the North.

Minister for the Environment John Gormley says it is our responsibility under EU law to take back the waste for proper disposal.

read on...

Good enough for 'us' I reckon. Illegal dumping is the fastest growing illegal cashcow in the EU -apparently a bigger earner than vice.

This country doesn't have it's finger on the pulse of the problem at all. The fines, punishments and general disincentives are laughable. It costs buttons to get set up as a legitimate, licenced waste disposal operator and, to the best of my knowledge, there is absolutely no requirment for an applicant to be able to even spell environmental science -much less have a qualification in such an area.

[SMorgan]

I am absolutely gob-smacked that the Irish Government have agreed to pick up most of the clean-up bill, which is going to run into 10s of millions.


It was up to the Northern Authorities through planning and environmental legislation to control illegal dumping. If I loaded up a lorry with waste I can drive around all I want but I won't commit an offence until such time as I go to dump it. If the place that I decide to dump it is outside the jurisdiction then the Irish Government are powerless to act and responsibility should rest with the authories in the jurisdiction I decide to dump it in.

Also, here on the Southern side of the border Louth, Monaghan and Donegal Country Councils have been left with massive bills for disposing of the by-product from diesel laundering which takes place in Northern Ireland. Will the Stomont Government be picking up these bills?

This Government has refined wasting money into a fine act!!

I don't even think the Irish Government should be picking up 50% of the bill.