A rift between Cork Corporation and Cork County Council on a joint approach to waste management over the next two decades has become so deep that the agreed strategy has begun to fall asunder.
The agreement between both sides was that the corporation would provide a materials recovery facility (MRF) which would separate and segregate the waste from the entire region into its component parts. For its part, the council would identify a suitable site for a "superdump" where all the non-hazardous waste from the MRF would be taken for in fill.
On the face of it, the council's task seemed to be harder.
The communities living in the three locations shortlisted for the superdump - Bottlehill, Grenagh and Watergrasshill - made it plain from the beginning that they would not accept the proposed 250acre dump in their midst. The council promised that under no circumstances would the MRF be located at the superdump site. The council's consultants concluded that Bottlehill, a densely wooded area, was the preferred site.
The corporation, meanwhile, faced with the imminent closure of its Kinsale Road dump which takes all of the city's refuse, began preparing to construct a £16 million MRF.
The project went to tender and the Kinsale Road site was suggested as the ideal location. But local residents immediately objected on the grounds that they had put up with the dump for decades and had always been led to believe that when it reached capacity, the site would be grassed over and converted into an amenity area.
Political party representatives on the corporation were left in no doubt about that promise and what it would mean not to deliver on it. On two occasions in recent months when it came to a vote, the corporation failed to ratify the Kinsale Road as the MRF site.
Without the MRF, says Mr Maurice Moloney, Cork county manager, the superdump cannot work.
This leaves the local authority in a dilemma. Mr Joe Gavin, the city manager, is in no doubt that one way or another, the corporation will have to grasp the nettle. He is preparing a report for corporation members which they will receive probably within two weeks, which will set out the options.
Mr Gavin says the original city/county joint strategy did not identify a specific site for the MRF and that Kinsale Road became the focus only after it had been suggested by a private company at the tender stage.
If the MRF is not agreed by the corporation, then an option may be to separate the waste at source, he says. Cork householders would have to have three bins for different waste, similar to what is being proposed for Dublin.
The MRF, it seems, would be the cleanest, most efficient option. But for the southside politicians, it is a choice between a rock and a hard place. The Kinsale Road proposal puts them in the firing line.
County councillors have been left wondering if their city counterparts are reneging on what appeared to be a done deal. They are adamant that the county's responsibility ends with the provision of the superdump site and that the city must deliver its part of the bargain.
County manager Mr Moloney says a firm commitment has been given to the Bottlehill community that only the superdump will be sited in the area.
"I have given my word to the community that the MRF, wherever it may be sited, will not go to Bottlehill and that all land outside of the 250-acre dump site will revert back to agricultural zoning once the actual site has been pinpointed. I also made a pledge that there would be no question of sludge being dumped there.
"But the MRF is an integral part of the superdump and it cannot operate without it. The county is going ahead with its plans on the basis that there will be an MRF but I don't think we should be seen to be interfering with the internal workings of the corporation."
Because of time and space pressures a quick solution is needed. Consequently, a joint approach from the local authorities would be preferable. The Belgian company, Indaver, wants to construct an incineration plant for both toxic and non-toxic waste at Ringaskiddy in Cork Harbour. If the project goes ahead, it will provide a waste management option that isn't there at present.
For now, the two local authorities have to plan on the basis that by 2020, the region will have to infill an estimated five million tonnes of waste annually. Mr Gavin says he supports a joint approach. He has to deal, however, with members of a corporation who are uneasy about making a difficult decision.