Waste Illegally Dumped In Northern Ireland Will Be Removed

The Irish government has agreed to a new cross-border scheme to remove waste that was illegally dumped in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said that 20 sites north of the border contain up to 250,000 tonnes of municipal and commercial waste dumped illegally from the south between 2002 and 2004.

Green Party's John Gormley has agreed a plan to remove the waste, drawing on EU shipment of waste safeguards.

The Republic will meet the cost of disposing of the waste and will pay the 80% of the cost of excavating it and repairing sites.

Northern Ireland Environment Minister Sammy Wilson said he is looking forward to seeing work beginning soon. The actions, that could take five years in total, are expected to begin in the autumn.

Work will begin at Slattinagh, Co Fermanagh, and Trillick, Co Tyrone, where Northern Ireland contribution will be around £600.000.

Wilson said that "enforcement staff from NIEA and the Republic of Ireland are continuing to work to ensure that illegal dumping of Republic of Ireland waste in Northern Ireland does not happen again."

The Minister added: "These joint enforcement operations, together with the prosecution of those previously involved in this type of environmental crime, are designed to present a deterrent to illegal waste management activities."

The responsibility for waste management was taken over by the District Councils in December 2003. The NIEA said that, since then, the Environmental Crime Time has registered over 70 prosecutions involving waste from the Republic.

At the moment, a total of £800,000 in terms of confiscation orders have been made against those involved in illegal disposal of waste from the south in the north.

(AC/JM)