So many good intentions . . . so little action! Once again the Coalition Government has signalled its intentions to meet its obligations under EU regulations. Once again, it has published an aspirational plan that lacks serious backbone. Hazardous waste disposal is the issue on this occasion. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the body that has been given the task of reassuring Brussels that we take our responsibilities seriously. But if past performance is any measure of delivery, this State is heading for a hazardous waste crisis.
It is difficult to blame the EPA. It has prepared a National Hazardous Waste Management Plan in accordance with the law. It is probably a very good plan. Certainly, it appears to be comprehensive and ambitious. Unfortunately, the plan will have to be funded and implemented by the various local authorities and operated by the companies and individuals that generate toxic waste. Given the refusal by the great bulk of 34 local authorities to implement ordinary waste management plans, the chances of them dealing expeditiously with toxic materials seems remote.
The EPA sounds a wake-up call. It reports that, between 1996 and 1998 the total quantity of hazardous waste produced in this State rose by 13 per cent to 370,000 tonnes. It notes that the introduction of special licensing arrangements for the pharmaceutical industry practically eliminated hazardous waste there over a three-year period. It advocates a similar approach, involving financial and technical assistance, to other sectors. A prevention, rather than a treatment ethos, is favoured. At the heart of the plan is an EU regulation that each State should, where possible, be self-sufficient in dealing with its toxic waste.
There is a pressing need, the EPA states, to improve toxic waste collection rates from small-scale generators who are unable or unwilling to pay for its treatment. In that regard, it notes a worrying trend towards disposal, rather than recovery activities. It recognises that a major bottleneck exists where the disposal of hazardous materials is concerned. It recommends the establishment of incinerator and toxic landfill facilities. The recommendations don't stop there. The EPA proposes that local authorities should identify all sites where hazardous waste was dumped in the past - some 487 are already on record - and prioritise them as requiring short, medium and long term action and remediation. The cost of all of this work will have to be borne by local authorities which are already short of cash and starved of professional expertise.