This article is from page 34 of the 2006-04-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
CLARE County Council’s controversial €8 million landfill site near Inagh will be around for another 30 years, if the current disposal levels at the facility are maintained.
But that’s because disposal rates of waste have plummeted in recent months, to 42 per cent of their permitted levels, according to a council report.
If this continues, the landfill will have a licensed capacity that will allow it remain open until 2036.
The landfill is licensed to receive 900,000 tonnes, or 56,500 per annum. If the landfill were used to its maximum capacity, it would be closed by 2018 and the council would have to locate a new landfill elsewhere in Clare.
However, in the first 11 weeks of 2006, the Inagh facility accepted just 5,002 tonnes of waste, the equivalent to 23,645 tonnes per annum.
The dramatic fall off occurred after the landfill’s biggest customer opted to go elsewhere, in search of cheaper prices.
“The number of options now available to waste collectors is such that there is no guarantee that any particular collector will use any particular facility,” said Senior Engineer, Sean Ward, in a report to council.
“Collectors will dispose of their residual wastes at the landfill which is most benefit for them commercially, having first minimized the quantity to be landfilled.”
At the adjourned March Council meeting last night (Apr 3rd), councillors were told that a total of 15 non-compliance notices, incorporating 38 items of non-compliance had been served on the council from the EPA, since work started on the project in November 2001.
“All the non-compliance items in 2002 were related to construction activity rather than operation of the facility,” said the Director for the Environment, Ger Dollard, in his report
“It is impossible to guarantee that a landfill accepting a mix of municipal waste will never emit an odour, but the highest possible standard has to be aimed at.
“The most effective means of mitigating fresh waste odour are to keep the area of the active landfilling face as small as possible. The face area has at all times been kept as small as possible.
“The foregoing demonstrates that the council has been and remains committed to sourcing the best cover materials, in consultation with, and where applicable in compliance with the instructions of the EPA.