Unscrupulous rubbish collectors are engaging in illegal dumping around the country because the system designed to track waste collectors is not fully operational.
The Irish Times has learned that there is poor enforcement and reporting by local authorities, with many admitting they do not have detailed information about the types and quantities of waste being collected in their areas. For example there is no such data available for Dublin and the midlands region, which covers Laois, Longford, Offaly, Tipperary NR and Westmeath.
The different types of waste collected in the north-east are documented, but the quantities have not been recorded according to information supplied to The Irish Times.
In Cork, only 50 per cent of waste collection permit holders submitted required annual environmental reports last year "despite numerous reminders", said Ms Katherine Walshe, director of environment at Cork County Council. "The quality of the information received was very poor," she said.
New annual reports are due to be submitted at the end of this month.
Until recently there was no standard reporting method for contractors nationwide, with waste classification information varying from region to region. "The problem we have is that there has been no template, so you can lump things in together," said Mr Cyril Morris, regional waste co-ordinator for the mid-west region.
The EPA has now provided councils with a standard format using European waste codes which requests more detailed information and also requires a trans-frontier shipment number for waste intended for export.
In relation to enforcement of the permitting system, The Irish Times has learned that few inspections of authorised contractors have been carried out since the system was introduced in 2001.
Information gathered over a number of months last year shows that inspections vary from county to county. Last year one official for the Midlands region said that they had "no enforcement officers as such" and that she didn't know how many inspections there had been.
Only counties Donegal and Kildare gave an exact figure for the number of inspections in 2002 - 41 for Donegal and 10 per week for Kildare.
Local authorities are now preparing waste enforcement plans following the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen's allocation of € 7 million to local authorities specifically for this purpose.
Mr Cullen yesterday defended the system and said it was "closing the last major gap in the regulatory system governing the management of waste".
He said local authorities were now "getting their programmes up and running".He said waste was a priority for the new Office of Environmental Enforcement, which "will play a major part in improving the enforcement performance of local authorities".
A first step in creating a nationwide local authority enforcement network took place on Wednes- day when officials from local authorities, the EPA, fisheries boards, health boards and the DPP's office met in Tullamore, Co Offaly to discuss how to improve enforcement of environmental laws.
Local authority officials acknowledge that the permitting system is not fully implemented but they say it is a step forward. "The situation, albeit with imperfections, is an improvement on the unregulated position that we had heretofore," said Ms Walshe.
Ms Christina Sullivan, environmental science officer with Galway County Council claimed that the permitting system has increased recycling rates as it allows the authority to tell "a company that they have to have a segregated waste collection system by a certain date".
Figures obtained show that of 228 applications for waste collection permits in Connacht, 174 were granted but the number of inspections is unavailable.
In Cork, 156 of 169 permits were granted but the number of inspections is not available.
The south-east, mid-west and Dublin all said that an enforcement plan was being prepared.