The illegal disposal of waste is a hugely lucrative business. Millions of euros have changed hands in recent years as hazardous and other materials have been dumped illegally in old quarries and landfill sites.
The Environmental Protection Agency has identified at least 500 sites where hazardous waste was dumped in the past.
The cost of administrative work alone, in cleaning up these sites, has been estimated at more than 50 million. Some hauliers have grown very rich indeed at the long-term expense of local communities, where aquifers and ground-water have been contaminated.
The latest controversy involving illegal dumping involves materials found on Roadstone land, near Blessington, in Co Wicklow, a short distance from one of the reservoirs that provides water for Dublin. Local residents want the illegal material removed, because of their concerns regarding public health. The parent company, Cement Roadstone, one of Ireland's largest, is understood to be negotiating with the Environmental Protection Agency and Wicklow County Council with a view to having the rubbish remain on site, while ensuring that leakages from it does not enter adjoining watercourses.
The deputy leader of the Labour Party, Ms Liz McManus, has insisted there should be an independent investigation and review of the dumps found on Roadstone land, in view of the fact that Wicklow County Council is believed to have dumped material there. This would appear to be a reasonable request in order to reassure the public that short-cuts will not be taken in cleaning up the site. Given the sensitivity of the location, any toxic or dangerous waste materials must be removed.
A spokesman for Cement Roadstone has expressed the company's shock and embarrassment at the discovery and insisted it knew nothing of the illegal dumping. Whatever about that - and it is difficult to accept that up to 100,000 tonnes of waste could be deposited on its land without the knowledge of its employees - it now has a responsibility to correct the situation and to ensure that further damage is not caused to the environment.
Wicklow County Council has a poor record in enforcing the law on illegal dumping and landfills. The Blessington dump appears to be one of many that was allowed to operate on a nod-and-wink basis. Last weekend, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, under pressure from the European Commission, allocated 7 million to help local authorities enforce new laws on illegal dumping. It represents the opening stage of a five-year programme of law enforcement. It is very little money, and the initiative is too late for some areas.