Waste repatriation gets under way

The repatriation of an estimated 14,500 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from sites in counties Fermanagh and Tyrone to a landfill in Co Donegal got under way this morning.

The sites are just two of a total of 20 sites throughout Northern Ireland that are to be excavated over a period expected to take several years, with the waste being repatriated to the Republic. The cost to the Government here is thought to be in the region of €36 million.

Starting this morning 4,500 tonnes of waste from the first site at Slattinagh, Garrison, Co Fermanagh, is being transported in a fleet of sealed 30-tonne lorries to a local authority land fill at Ballynacarrick in Co Donegal. The waste is thought to be household refuse that originated in Cork and Wexford.

Once the waste has been removed a further 10,000 tonnes of waste from Trilick in Co Tyrone, thought to have originated from 13 counties in the Republic, is to also be delivered to the Ballynacarrick landfill.

Ballynacarrick is owned by Donegal County Council which normally charges "gate fees" in the order of €100 per tonne that would place a value of €1.45 million on the amount payable to the council. However it is understood that special gate fees were negotiated with the council by the

Department of Environment. The costs of the operation to dig up the waste and transport it across the Border would be in addition to the gate fees..

The operation is being undertaken by Dean Public Works Ltd of Northern Ireland, which has retained specialist adviser GeoDelft, which has expertise in assessments of contaminated land.

The two sites are phase one of the repatriation of waste from the overall 20 identified sites. Phase two is to involve sites in Co Down, but this is not expected to get under way until next year as it will involve a separate tendering process.

It is thought likely all of the waste will ultimately be disposed of in licensed facilities in the Border region given the proximity principle that holds that further damage can be caused to the environment by the transportation. The waste will be removed using powers contained in Article 24 of the EC Regulation on Shipments of Waste.

Sources close to the scheme have told The Irish Times costs for the clean up may vary considerably and may even be in excess of the €36 million estimated this week. This is because waste dumped illegally may have caused contamination to surrounding soils and watercourses. In addition the

incineration option, which is due to become available in coming years as the Duleek incinerator comes on stream, may not be useful for construction and demolition waste. So far, four landowners have been imprisoned and fines of about £800,000 (€965,000) have been handed down in the North.

While the Irish Government is unlikely to recoup costs from landowners in the North there is the prospect that hauliers and contractors based here could face prosecution.

The North’s Environment Minister, Edwin Poots, warned there is no hiding place for those involved in the illegal dumping of waste in Northern

Ireland. He said the illegal dumping was the legacy of a ten-year period and landowners should be warned "do not agree to accept waste for infill - no matter how attractive the potential payment, it will never be worth the threat to your property and finances when you are caught".

"This operation will repatriate around 250,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste. To put the scale of this operation in context Belfast, our largest district council, produces less than 160,000 tonnes in one year," he said.

The repatriation of waste follows a 2007 agreement between the two jurisdictions and a further framework agreement in June 2009 that agreed measures for dealing with sites containing waste from the Republic.

John McMillen, chief executive of Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), said: "This project marks the beginning of a long and complicated operation that will require careful planning and management. The efforts of NIEA officials and their Dublin City Council colleagues are now paying off as the waste begins to move."