Dumping ground: Part 2: Thousands of tonnes of waste from the Republic has been dumped in illegal sites along the Border
Nine local authorities from the State and Northern Ireland are to use infra-red satellite technology capable of picking up heat patterns on land to identify illegal dumping sites in the Border area.
Dumps can generate significant amounts of heat and sites with unusual heat patterns identified by satellite will be investigated by council environment officials. Images will be taken at regular intervals to see if any new dump sites have been created.
The use of satellite technology is the latest development in the bid to clamp down on illegal cross-Border dumping, which has generated revenue now estimated to be in the millions.
Thousands of tonnes of waste from the Republic has been dumped in illegal sites along the Border in the last two years, and the racket is now part of a major new investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency and gardaí from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Those convicted of illegal dumping can face fines of up to €15 million and jail terms of up to 10 years.
Mr Gerry Kelly, senior engineer with Monaghan County Council, who is co-ordinating the project on behalf of the councils, believes the system will act as a deterrent to landowners who can earn significant money from illegal operators to allow their land to take the waste.
"We want people to know that we will find the sites, sooner or later, and that under the law the landowner can be forced to pay for the clean-up of their land, which can cost thousands." Satellite mapping technology has been used successfully in the past in Ireland to target false and incorrect agricultural grant aid applications.
The councils hope to fund the new anti-dumping initiative, which will cost just under €1 million, through the European Interreg fund. If their grant application is successful, the satellite surveillance system could be in place by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that local authorities which fail to identify waste collectors in their areas suspected of sending waste to illegal dumps in Northern Ireland could be held liable for the illegally dumped material, and be required to remove it themselves, which would cost millions.
Under European regulations on the transport of waste between countries, local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that waste from their region is not being exported illegally. If this occurred the local authority can then be required to take the waste back and dispose of it properly in their own region.
This happened recently to a number of local authorities in Ireland following the discovery of hundreds of tonnes of illegal recycling waste from Ireland in containers at Rotterdam and Antwerp ports. The waste was destined for India and Hong Kong.