[Press Release: May 8th, 2002]

GREEN PARTY LEADER TREVOR SARGENT TO VISIT WHITESTOWN ILLEGAL DUMP

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent T.D. will visit one of Wicklow's largest illegal dumps at Whitestown, near Baltinglass tomorrow (May 9th) at 3:00pm to highlight the many unanswered questions surrounding illegal dumping in county Wicklow and the continuing national waste crisis. He will be accompanied by Green Party MEP Nuala Ahern and Wicklow Green Party councillor and General Election candidate Deirdre de Burca and will be meeting local families directly affected by the dump.

"We have a waste crisis not just in Wicklow, but in the whole country, and the reason is that politicians have done nothing", said deputy Sargent.

The illegal and unlined Whitestown dump that the Green Party leader will be visiting contains in excess of 100,000 tons of illegally dumped waste. Mr. John O'Reilly, the owner of the dump, has claimed that Wicklow county Council dumped 25 truck loads a month on that site from 1979 to 2001.

In total there are well over 100 major illegal dumps around county Wicklow that have been discovered so far. These dumps are unlined and are leaking and several of them are a serious threat to drinking water, particularly for residents of Blessington and Enniskerry. There are also serious and unanswered questions about the operation of Wicklow's official landfill sites, particularly the main county landfill at Ballymurtagh, Avoca which is now almost full years before planned. Like the illegal dumps, the official Ballymurtagh tip is unlined and is now leaking into the Avoca river.

Wicklow Green Party councillor and General Election candidate Deirdre de Burca has called for the appointment an Independent Commissioner to fully investigate the widespread illegal dumping that has occurred in county Wicklow. "Waste management in county Wicklow can only be described as a disaster", said councillor de Burca. "We have to understand why this happened and make sure that a transparent and enforced regulatory system is in place to make sure that it never happens again", she said.

Councillor de Burca has called for a comprehensive waste management initiative in the county, including widespread public consultation to identify a potential new council landfill. "Only dry non-toxic, non-recyclable waste should be taken to any future landfill site", said the Green Party councillor. "Householders should be facilitated to separate their waste at source. The council must introduce extensive recycling facilities and large municipal composting facilities for wet, organic waste. This could be achieved within eighteen months in the county if council officials and public representatives put their weight behind it ".

"If they fail to do this, we are definitely heading down the road of incineration and people are only too aware of the range of environmental and public health hazards this would cause".

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