THREE QUARTERS of all the Republic's hazardous waste material, and half of the 20,000 tons which must be exported annually for treatment, come from the Cork area, a conference on waste management has been told.
The conference, organised by Cork County Council, is being attended by the representatives of environmental protection agencies and hazardous waste regulatory authorities throughout Europe.
Mr Michael Lavelle, the senior executive engineer with the council, told the conference that Ireland was now generating 100,000 tonnes of hazardous waste annually, most of which was treated on site.
Because of the heavy concentration of the chemical/pharmaceutical sector in Cork, the region accounted for more than three quarters of the annual waste generated in Ireland, he added.
However, some 20,000 tonnes had to be disposed of in countries with the capability and resources to treat toxic materials, such as Britain, Finland and Belgium. The Cork region generates half this total.
Mr Lavelle said that the aim of the conference was to harmonise the approach of various European authorities to waste management.
"Every movement of waste is tracked by both the originating and the receiving authorities, as well as the authorities in the countries through which it must pass. However, this involves a huge amount of paper work which is growing in tandem with the increasing amount of waste," Mr Lavelle said.
Yesterday, delegates discussed the computerisation of procedures to reduce the amount of paper work and to speed up the passing of information on waste shipments between regulatory authorities.
"What we are now seeking is the establishment of a Euro database which will allow access to information at the press of a button", he said.
"The delegates from countries including Germany, France, Britain, Finland and Germany etc, have agreed that such a system necessary if we are to the approach to waste mangement in Europe," Mr Lavelle said.
The conference also considered the different rules governing the exportation of toxic waste within the EU. "For instance, in Britain, which is where most of our waste goes, a sterling bank guarantee must be lodged indemnifying the receiving company in the event that the waste originator becomes insolvent. The guarantee also requires that the waste must be returned to the country of origin in such a case.
"As well as this, because of language differences and different interpretations of the technical terms for waste, there are often hitches in the process. The conference is seeking to arrive at a uniform approach in terms of language and procedures which would streamline this area.
"Another area of concern is the different cost of waste handling in different countries. This can lead to some countries sending a high volume of their waste to parts of the EU where costs are lower.
"Ideally, the EU is seeking to create an environment in which each member state will handle its own waste under common Euro guidelines," he said.
This would not mean, however, that Ireland would be forced to deal with its relatively minor volume of toxic waste on Irish soil.
"I think you will find that the smaller nations will be given a derogation from any such EU directive. Industries have grown up throughout the EU specifically to handle toxic waste, and any reduction in volume would place these industries in serious difficulties, so that there is likely to be a compromise allowing the smaller players, such as Ireland, to continue as before," said Mr Lavelle.
In Britain there were at present 84 waste regulatory authorities, but from April 1st, a new environmental agency would come into being to regulate the entire industry.