The indication that the European Court of Justice will shortly give its first ruling in a prosecution against Ireland over alleged failures to prevent large-scale illegal dumping is likely to expose the scale of repeated failures by local authorities to deal with waste.
The case will probably be the first of a series, given that illegal dumping has continued since 2001, much of it consisting of dumping in Northern Ireland and even abroad. Aside from the considerable embarrassment for the Government, very large and perhaps "daily" fines - could follow if the case is upheld.
A failure to put in place adequate, environmentally- appropriate disposal facilities, a patchy recycling network and unsustainable dependence on landfills also suggest that rectifying the problem could take years. The European Commission has acknowledged that Irish regulations on waste have been strengthened, but enforcement is effective in too few instances. Anecdotal evidence suggests, for example, that many unauthorised sites have yet to be cleaned up even though criminal proceedings will be brought against illegal operators.
A number of local authorities have introduced meaningful waste minimisation and recycling but have not confronted their continuing dependence on landfills. They continue to dither over the controversial issue of thermal treatment. This is despite improvements in thermal technology from the days of "mass-burn" incineration. Other EU member-states with progressive attitudes to waste have shown that the option can be deployed with rigorous pollution controls alongside a range of other appropriate disposal options.
Two developments this week however, highlight how the Republic's waste problems may worsen before they get better. Dublin city and county is facing a new crisis because three of its four landfills will have to close before 2007 and a new super dump in Swords will not be opened until 2009. Meanwhile, Dublin City Council voted to block development of a large incinerator at Poolbeg even though it is only at the planning stage. Local authority officials have indicated that the vote will have no bearing on the region's waste management plan which allows for the incinerator but the vote is likely to delay further the provision of a facility due to process 500,000 tonnes of non-recycling waste a year.
Referring to the landfill issue the assistant Dublin city manager, Mr Matt Twomey, said it amounted to an "amber alert". When the problems of growing waste - much of it being disposed of inadequately - are factored in, the alert should be considered a glaring red one.