The proposal by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, to strip local councillors of their powers to make waste management plans under the Waste Management (Amendment) Bill, 2001, was a difficult, but necessary, decision. It was prompted by the refusal of three local authorities, Galway, Longford and Louth, to fulfil their legal obligations to adopt waste management plans for their counties. Last month, we witnessed the consequences of such failure when Galway city began to choke on its rubbish because of the temporary suspension of commercial refuse deliveries to a local landfill site. And the Coalition Government is currently facing a multi-million pound fine from the European Commission for failing to implement EU regulations affecting regional waste management policy.
Mr Dempsey's action, if anything, has been delayed for too long. It has been evident for years that the elected representatives of some local authorities were reluctant to take difficult and unpopular decisions concerning the increasing amount of waste generated by our consumer society. The Rainbow government transferred responsibility for funding and operating waste disposal systems to local authorities some years ago. It was a thankless task. Many consumers were reluctant to pay for rubbish separation and disposal while small communities resisted the opening of new landfill sites and the establishment of incinerators. Elected representatives prevaricated. The result was a political and administrative shambles.
As the situation deteriorated, Mr Dempsey lectured local authorities on their responsibilities. While some of them responded by reluctantly adopting limited waste management plans, others did not. Over the next 18 months the landfill sites of Dublin, Wicklow and Sligo are expected to reach capacity and no clear alternatives exist. It has been estimated that half of the 50 landfill sites now operating in the State will close within three years.
The Labour Party has accused Mr Dempsey of damaging local democracy in pursuit of an agenda to build five regional incinerators. And it contends this is the wrong approach because policy should concentrate on recycling, rather than incineration. Fine Gael has advocated the establishment of a National Waste Management Authority that would implement a programme of recycling, re-use and waste management in conjunction with local authorities. But neither party can ignore the reality that some level of incineration will be required to deal with material left over after recycling. Landfill can no longer be regarded as the only long-term disposable option. In particular, at least one incinerator will be required to dispose of animal carcasses and offal arising from disease controls.
The Minister for the Environment denies attempting to substitute incineration for landfill and he advocates greater re-use and recycling of waste. But, at a time when only 9 per cent of our municipal rubbish is recovered for recycling, a serious credibility gap exists for the Government. In that regard, Mr Dempsey's decision to establish an environment fund from new waste levies that will be introduced under the Bill and to use it to encourage recycling and litter control is a step forward. More effective leadership will be required, however, if the problems surrounding waste disposal are to be addressed.