Green Party welcomes EPA decision on remediation of illegal waste site in Wicklow
The Green Party has welcomed today’s proposed decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to grant a restricted licence to Brownfield Restoration Ireland Limited to allow the clean up and remediation of the illegal waste site at Whitestown in Co. Wicklow.
Green Party councillor on Wicklow County Council, Deirdre de Burca said that today’s proposed decision represented “a growing consistency and compliance with EU Waste Directives in the official decisions being made in Ireland concerning illegal dump sites”.
According to the Councillor, the announcement came as a great relief to local people in the Whitestown area and says that locals had been extremely concerned at a notice posted on the EPA’s website several weeks ago which recommended granting the application of the waste licence for a mixed waste landfill at the site.
“I believe that had such a decision been made, it would have sent out the wrong signal to those criminal elements who are involved in illegal dumping around the country.
“Essentially the message would have been that the official response to illegal dumps was to eventually legalise them. This would have done nothing to stop the proliferation of illegal dumps around the country, especially larger illegal dumps which would have been sold on to opportunistic companies looking to develop commercially lucrative legal landfill sites.
Councillor de Burca said the proposed decision will prevent any new waste being added to the existing dump.
“The proposed decision will allow Brownfield to remediate all the existing inert historical waste on site but will prohibit them form importing any new waste and will oblige the removal of all domestic, commercial and other non-inert wastes.
The councillor said that today’s proposed decision and a recent decision by the EPA to refuse a waste licence for a landfill on Roadstone’s land at Blessington indicate a new coherence in the official approach to dealing with the problem of the remediation of illegal dumps.
“This proposed decision is good news for West Wicklow and indeed for every other county that finds itself dealing with the problem of illegal dumps,” concluded Councillor de Burca.
