EPA has urged local authorities to assess the vulnerability of drinking water supplies to a deadly parasite that spreads a notifiable disease, writes Ruadhán Mac Cormaic
Backyard burning is reported as a significant problem by 80 per cent of local authorities, and contributes to over 50 per cent of all dioxin emissions in the State.
However, large-scale dumping is no longer taking place, and the illegal cross-Border movement of waste has reduced significantly in recent years.
These findings are contained in a report on environmental enforcement to be published today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The report, the first of its kind, also found that unauthorised waste collection was cited as a significant problem by over 50 per cent of local authorities in the past two years. Over the same period, complaints about waste facilities from members of the public - an important indicator of environmental performance - increased significantly, from 366 in 2004 to 657 in 2005.
Most complaints in this section were odour-related, with the next most frequent complaints related to noise and air pollution at a relatively small number of facilities.
Over half of all waste complaints received in 2005 relate to six facilities, the authors note.
A breakdown of all complaints logged by the EPA on all issues shows a notable increase in the proportion that related to waste, from 34 per cent in 2004 to 58 per cent in 2005.
On the other hand, complaints about the food and drink sector reduced significantly, from 37 per cent in 2004 to 17 per cent the following year.
Dara Lynott, director of the EPA's office of environmental enforcement, said there was a shared responsibility on industry and individuals to address waste problems.
"Eliminating fly tipping and backyard burning is the responsibility of everyone. This means ensuring your waste is handed over to legitimate waste collectors.
"Industry - particularly the waste industry - has a responsibility to conduct their business without causing nuisance to their neighbours, to handle waste responsibly and to prevent pollution of groundwater and surface water," he said.
The report shows that in 37 prosecutions taken by the EPA over the past two years, the courts handed down costs and fines of over €320,000.
Remedial measures taken by the companies prosecuted, meanwhile, have cost about €33 million.
"Where there is evidence of serious negligence or wilful disregard for legislation, companies can expect to face the full force of the law where the courts have the power to impose fines of up to €15 million," Mr Lynott said.
According to the report, better co-operation between authorities on both sides of the Border has led to better intelligence on illegal waste disposal.
Enforcement of environmental laws in 2004 resulted in 12,000 site inspections, 377 roadblocks and the serving of 1,588 notices by local authorities under the Waste Management Act.
Some 300 prosecutions were also taken by local authorities in 2004.