The residents of Kill, Co. Kildare, were yesterday refused leave to appeal to the Supreme Court over the proposed siting of a large municipal dump just one and a half miles from their village; they were told: however that a referral of the case to the European Court of Justice is possible. The residents may now, reluctantly, discontinue their opposition but, if so, they should concentrate on how the dump will be operated.
Dublin produces a vast amount of rubbish. Dunsink closes next month, Baleally will be full in a year's time; the need for a new dump is urgent. It is six years since the site outside Kill was identified and four years since planning permission was lodged with Kildare County Council. Had the High Court ruled against the Kill dump it would have been a major blow for Dublin's local authorities. There is annoyance, of course, that Dublin has purchased a site outside the county for its rubbish; a Dublin dump near Mulhuddart was earmarked but planning permission was not forthcoming. Certainly, if the dump was only for Kildare's rubbish it would not need to be half as large.
The 126 acre site has the advantage of being close to the Naas Road. More importantly, much of it is a disused quarry of no use to anyone now but when filled in (after ten years) could be grassed over and handed to the community for leisure purposes - perhaps a golf course. The rubbish will first be baled at three locations in Dublin before transport to Kill so that the approach roads will not be strewn with litter.
On the other hand the site provides a tributary for the River Liffey, it is adjacent to the pipe for Dublin's water supply and it is close to the heart of the county's bloodstock industry. Kill is also justly proud of being a winner thirteen times in the Tidy Towns competition. Proximity to a dump is one thing but this is going to be a `super dump', the largest in the country. And perhaps the consequence most feared but least mentioned is that property prices in the surrounding area may tumble. Whether they do or not will depend only on how the dump is operated.
Landfill dumping is the cheapest option for disposing of solid waste but the amount of rubbish could be reduced. Is the amount of packaging in use really demanded by the consumer? Could there not be greater emphasis on recycling and re using, especially in large urban areas where volumes make it economically viable. Perhaps households should be rewarded for reducing their rubbish and penalised for not doing so. If everyone was charged the full cost of waste disposal, the volumes of waste might drop significantly.
The opposition to landfill dumping is understandable but it is based, to a certain extent, on operational practices which have been discredited and must be discontinued. If the Kill dump is to become operational, as looks likely now, the residents are entitled to expect that it will be operated to the best international practice, regardless of the cost.