[Press Release: March 12th, 2002]

"QUESTIONS ON ILLEGAL DUMPING NOT BEING ANSWERED", SAYS DE BURCA

Vital questions concerning illegal dumping in County Wicklow are not being answered, says Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca. Following yesterday's council meeting at which councillors sought clarification about allegations that the county council itself had been using an illegal dump at Whitestown since 1979, councillor de Burca expressed dissatisfaction with the response of county officials to councillor's concerns.

"Many questions that I and other councillors asked were not answered by the county Manager" said councillor de Burca. "Part of the role of county councillors is to hold the executive to account", she said. "My responsibility as a county councillor is to ask the hard questions and to get information but I have not been able to get satisfactory answers on this vitally important issue".

Councillor de Burca pointed out that Wicklow county Council officials had been informed about the existence of Wicklow's largest illegal dump at Whitestown in 1998, yet no action was taken and dumping continued for years afterwards. "Former county council officials, including the former county manager and assistant manager, should be asked why widespread illegal dumping was allowed to continue in Wicklow" said councillor de Burca. "Why did Wicklow county Council not issue section 55 notices to operators of illegal waste dumps, even though they had been made aware of the existence of those dumps?" she asked. "Were they aware of illegal dumping or did they in any way authorise council officials to dump illegally?"

Councillor de Burca also expressed concern about other aspects of illegal dumping in the Garden County. "I am concerned that the County Manager has not instructed his legal team to prepare prosecution against the hospitals that were the source of the waste dumped illegally at Whitestown and Coolamadra", she said. "This is against the polluter pays principle and means that taxpayers may have to pay for the clean up and proper disposal of this illegally-dumped waste, instead of those who produced it".

According to councillor de Burca the solution to the growing waste crisis in Wicklow and in Ireland is to dramatically reduce the amount of waste produced. "Through, simple, easily-implemented actions such as municipal composting and door-step recycling, the waste produced in Wicklow can be reduced substantially". "Effective legislation to reduce unnecessary packaging and an extensive campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of reducing waste are only some of the actions that could have an enormous effect".

For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org.