Archived press release

Government receives formal warning on waste

1 June 2006

Friends of the Earth can today reveal that the Government has been given a formal warning by Europe over Northern Ireland's illegal waste problem. The Letter of Formal Notice [1] from the European Commission was issued after the green campaigners made a complaint [2] about the Department of the Environment's (DOE) poor performance in controlling unscrupulous dump owners.

The warning letter describes landfill sites which are operating 'either in contravention of a permit or without a permit having been issued', and goes on to talk about 'the adverse effects that this illegal waste activity has had on the environment and human health'. The Commission accuses Government of 'failing in its duty' to stop illegal dumpers, and insists 'it is insufficient to take enforcement action after the event'.

The Letter of Formal Notice relates to a complaint made by Friends of the Earth in May 2004. The complaint cited a number of waste facilities which were in breach of European law [3]. Some of these sites continue to pose an environmental and human health risk [4].

Declan Allison, Friends of the Earth's waste campaigner said:

"This formal warning should come as a wake-up call to DOE. Europe will no longer tolerate our appalling waste problem. The Department must now get its act together and come down hard on the illegal dumpers."

He continued:

"The situation has improved in recent years, and the Department is to be given due credit, but many dumps continue to be an environmental and health disaster. The Commission's position is clear - it's simply not good enough to allow these illegal landfill sites to do a roaring trade for many years, then, when the operators have made their money and moved on, leave the waste there to continue to pollute. These polluters should have felt the full weight of the law a long time ago, and should now be forced to remove the illegal waste at there own expense."

Notes

[1] (back) The Letter of Formal Notice allows Government 2 months to respond. If the Commission is unhappy with the response it can then issue a Reasoned Opinion, followed by a referral to the European Court of Justice. The Court can impose hefty fines, which would be paid out of the Northern Ireland purse.

[2] (back) Friends of the Earth's complaint (PDF)

[3] (back) The Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC

[4] (back) Sites which continue to pose an environmental and health risk include:

Craigmore Road landfill site, Garvagh, Co. Londonderry, operated by Mr Malachy Higgins. Mr Higgins had his Waste Disposal Licence revoked in 2003 after 7 years of illegally accepting waste for which the site was unlicensed. An estimated 100,000 tonnes of waste was illegally dumped during this period, but to date, Mr Higgins hasn't been prosecuted, nor has the illegal waste been removed.

Newtownards Road scrapyard, Comber, Co. Down, operated by Mr Jimmy sails. This site is situated on fragile salt marshes and the tidal Comber River within the protected area of Strangford Lough. It has no Waste Management Licence, but local people report bin lorries arriving late at night to dump waste, and frequent fires on site. In March 2005 Environment and Heritage Service reported to the European Commission that the site was under investigation with a view to closure. So far no prosecution has been brought and the site continues to operate.

'The Rumbling Hole' landfill site, Glenside Road, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, operated by Mr J McQuillan. This site is licensed to take inert waste only but a wide range of waste has been disposed of here, including municipal waste and scrap. The site has reportedly stopped operating, but waste is clearly visible on the tip head and fires have been reported.

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Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: foe-ni@foe.co.uk.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust