The waste problem had been the dominating issue from the Irish public, the EU Commissisoner for the Environment, Ms Margot Wallström, said yesterday.
Speaking at a public meeting where she answered questions from representatives of residents' groups and NGOs, the Commissioner said the big challenge to the Government was to put in place an entire structure for waste disposal.
She said the structure should start from the methods of collection and move from landfill as a solution.
"We prefer material recovery before energy recovery but we also put incineration before landfill," she said.
She said landfills caused a lot of health problems. They also produced dioxins which occurred naturally, and polluted surface water.
"You have too many landfills and also you have illegal dumping. You 'll have to decide on that," the Commissioner said. It required the participation of each and every citizen, she said. The Commission would not decide on a structure for each state.
"We don't have one model which goes for all member- states. You'll have to find an Irish model."
She added that the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency should be enforced in such a way as to provide a link between the environment and health.
Many of the representatives complained about the lack of information they received from local authorities and the Government. "We do have, as a matter of fact, most complaints from Ireland," she said.It was a predominant feature that local authorities and such like were denying information to the public.
Her directorate was trying to put environmental concerns on the same level as economic and social issues within the EU.