Minister to intervene in Galway waste crisis

Galway's waste "crisis" remained deadlocked last night, pending the expected intervention of the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey.

Waste contractors in the city held an emergency meeting, while members of Ballinasloe Urban District Council met Galway county councillors.

The county's only landfill at Poolboy in Ballinasloe closes its gates to commercial waste from Galway city tomorrow.

There was strong speculation yesterday that the Minister might have to issue an executive order to revise the limits at the landfill, so ensuring that uncollected rubbish is not left in Galway's streets.

The Minister had warned that he might have to take direct action on two related issues - the short-term problem of commercial waste landfill disposal, and the long-term future of the Connacht waste management plan.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines require that the total annual tonnage at Poolboy be reduced from 75,000 tonnes to 50,000 tonnes by next year. This prompted Ballinasloe UDC to impose a ban on commercial waste from Galway city from February 1st. Mr Gene Browne, secretary of the Waste Contractors' Association of Galway, yesterday accused the city councillors of "handing over the incinerator option" to the Minister.

The Minister may empower local authority executives to take a decision on a waste management plan without the sanction of the elected representatives. Alternatively, he may give the local authorities a deadline by which to have a plan in place.