Madam, - The illegal dumping activities reported in today's Irish Times (March 30th) are reprehensible and highlight the old problems faced by the established and reputable waste industry working within the current regulatory framework. The Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) unequivocally condemns illegal dumping but believes it is a symptom of the deficit in enforcement and infrastructure.
The IWMA supports the authorities in their belated crackdown on illegal dumping but the article fails to ask the tough questions of why we have only woken up to illegal dumping now and where all this extra waste should go. The IWMA, which is affiliated to IBEC, is the national representative body for the legitimate waste management industry in Ireland. The association aims to improve standards and promote the development of the waste management sector as a recognised, professional and well-regulated industry.
Lack of modern waste infrastructure remains the fundamental problem and Government action is needed to encourage private-sector involvement. Your report ignored the startling fact that Ireland exports roughly 667,878 tonnes of waste and is relying on a diminishing landfill capacity and a lack of indigenous recycling infrastructure. The majority of these exports are legitimate and are carried out with the consent of the authorities.
The regional waste management plans developed in 1998 still have not been implemented. These plans are outdated and will not provide infrastructure to meet adequately the current waste situation. The legitimate waste management industry has been undermined by planning delays and a lack of enforcement, which has played straight into the hands of illegal operators.
The truth is that our EU colleagues are applying pressure on the policy-makers to take action on dumping.
Illegal dumping or not, waste will have to be exported from these shores because there is no political will to develop legitimate indigenous solutions to the waste problem.
Your readers may be interested to know that 60 per cent of waste is now handled by the private sector.
Unless the legitimate waste industry is actively engaged by policy-makers in the development of a well-regulated indigenous integrated waste management infrastructure, illegal operators will continue to flourish in Ireland and the truth about waste management in this country will remain buried. - Yours, etc.,
ERIK O'DONOVAN, Secretary, IWMA, Confederation House, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.