Householders in Cork could face a dramatic hike in refuse charges if plans for tackling the city's waste problem result in it being shipped abroad.
The local authority is currently in the throes of an ever-increasing refuse problem, as it faces a shortage of alternative sites in which to house its waste. Consequently it is embarking on a "prudent course of housekeeping" in a bid to tackle the problem head-on.
In a tender document posted in the EU Journal and website and advertised widely, the city council notes that its Kinsale Road landfill will reach its maximum licence level by the end of December next year, with the site set to close on January 1st, 2005.
Consequently the council has begun the process of finding interim disposal options that will cater for domestic waste once the landfill site closes.
Alternative means of treatment and disposal of domestic waste are being developed in partnership with Cork County Council. However, a delay in the development of alternatives - such as a proposed "super-dump" in north Cork and materials recovery facility in east Cork - has led the local authority to take the matter into its own hands.
A decision is expected from An Bord Pleanála this month, on Cork County Council's application for a licence in respect of a 250-acre landfill Bottlehill wood - some 16 km from Cork city - which would take waste from all over Cork.
However, while Cork County Council remains confident that the super-dump will be operational by the summer of 2005, Cork City Council has taken the decision to export its waste in the belief that Bottlehill will not be active in time for its needs following the closure of the Kinsale landfill.
"We're working in a situation of uncertainty at the moment and we want clarity, that's why we're looking for other options well in advance of the closure date," Senior Environmental Engineer, Mr Michael O'Brien, said yesterday.
"Notwithstanding the tremendous work we have done in reducing the amount of waste from 300,000 tonnes in 1997 to 60,000 tonnes this year via recycling endeavours, etc., the fact is that we're still in trouble, because there is simply no more room at Kinsale Road," he added.
The advertisement seeks proposals from competent firms for the treatment and disposal of between 35,000 and 45,000 tonnes of domestic waste collected by the city council, which could cost up to €10 million annually.
The contract will be awarded for an 18-month period.