Tim O'Brien outlines the waste plans of go-it-alone counties, including Wicklow which has big problems with illegal dumping
Local authorities in Kildare, Wicklow, Donegal and Cork have decided to make their own waste-management plans outside of a regional solution. However the councils themselves are not entirely unaware of solutions being worked out in neighbouring counties. Theses may significantly affect what they do with their waste.
Wicklow and Kildare have formulated plans which refer to possible "arrangements" with neighbouring counties. Being geographically next door to Dublin - a county which is certain to have major waste infrastructure, including an incinerator planned for Ringsend.
Similarly, Donegal County Council is acutely aware that if a major landfill or other facility is built in Fermanagh, its economics of scale would have a huge impact on private contractors operating in Donegal itself. The council does not collect household waste and there is a strong possibility contractors would use cheaper facilities in Northern Ireland.
In reality, all plans must look beyond their local authority borders towards regional solutions. Donegal's waste-management plan eschews thermal treatment in favour of an ambitious drive to raise its proportion of recycled waste from the current 4 per cent to about 50 per cent. Even with this, the council says it needs to develop new landfills.
It is going ahead with investment in recycling facilities but is acutely aware of the danger of cheap landfill prices across the Border. Another consideration is an incinerator in Belfast - it looks as if public opinion is severely against one in Derry - which could handle Donegal's waste but derail the ambitious reduction, reuse and recycling targets.
Kildare County Council has about 38 bring centres including a large facility at Kilcullen which accepts oils, plastics, paper and cans among others. In Leixlip it has hired a private contractor to collect dry recyclables - there is a similar scheme in the Naas/Newbridge area. The council currently puts about 110,000 tonnes of waste a year into landfill and, while it believes it can reduce this by up to half, a rising population and shrinking landfill space raise questions about long-term sustainability.
Wicklow County Council's appeal to neighbouring counties for landfill space failed, perhaps not surprisingly. It faces particular difficulty in not being part of a regional solution.
The county has not covered itself in glory in regard to policing illegal landfills and councillors voted down a management plan for a new landfill at Ballynagran, near Rathnew. Having identified Ballynagran as the most favoured site, though, any other location may be opposed in the courts on the basis that it is not the most favourable. However the council is committed to provide for waste-disposal within its borders and a private operator, Celtic Waste, is seeking permission for a landfill at Ballynagran.
The council provides transfer stations to facilitate transport to new or existing waste-disposal sites. It is also engaged in providing recycling and solid waste depots at civic amenity sites to maximise recycling potential and to minimise waste.
The Wicklow plan acknowledges the constraints of limited landfill and a population on the learning curve with regard to waste minimisation. Its consultant author, Mr P.J. Rudden of MC O'Sullivan, says candidly that the possibility of major infrastructure in Dublin offers the county a chance to piggy-back on its facilities.
Cork city and county have adopted a joint approach to their waste plan underpinned by a move away from landfill. There is a thermal treatment option being pursued. In the meantime, Cork's local authorities say they will need a major new landfill. Ancillary landfill sites will also be necessary, with one prediction suggesting that unless new facilities are identified and brought into service, all landfill capacity in Cork will be exhausted later this year.