The Mid-West Regional Authority yesterday came out against the location of a mega-dump in the Silvermines area of north Tipperary.
The authority members visited the proposed dump site and later, at their monthly meeting, agreed that Silvermines should not be used for landfill purposes, as it was a scenic area and a £1.5 million National Mining Heritage Centre was to be developed there and to open in time for next year's tourism season.
The meeting agreed no dump should be located in any local authority area before looking at alternatives for waste disposal. The members were earlier met by the Silvermines Action Group, which outlined its opposition to this £6 million project at the disused open-cast mine at Ballynoe, near Silvermines village. The dump is proposed by Waste Management (Ireland) Ltd and will be designed to cater for 180,000 tonnes of refuse a year.
The landfill site will cater for half of Munster, north Leinster and western counties. The promoters have to apply for a licence from the EPA and planning permission from North Tipperary County Council.
The Silvermines Action Group is currently collecting signatures from people and groups opposed to the project.