Shortfall in Dublin landfill capacity

Dublin city and county is facing a two-year shortfall in landfill capacity with three of its four dumps due to close by 2007, two years before the new super dump north of Swords is to open.

The two year hiatus in landfill capacity will be made more difficult if - as looks increasingly likely - the proposed Ringsend incinerator is not commissioned by 2007.

South Dublin County Council has already applied to the Environmental Protection Agency to increase its annual volume of waste dumped at Kill in Co Kildare from just over 300,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes, making it the largest application by volume currently being considered by the EPA.

However, planning permission for the facility is due to expire in December 2007 and it is not expected to be renewed as the planned capacity of 3.6 million tonnes will then have been reached.

The Ballyogan landfill operated by Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council is due to reach capacity this month, while the privately owned KTK landfill near Kilcullen is due to close in September next year.

This leaves the entire Dublin region dependent on an extension to the Balleally landfill site.

While the region's waste management plan noted "there is a critical need to plan for landfill capacity beyond 2006 - 2007", the major response to that challenge was the new super dump north of Swords.

According to the assistant Dublin city manager in charge of the waste management plan, Mr Matt Twomey, the situation "is now an amber alert".

Mr Twomey said that in the absence of its own capacity the Dublin region has already begun to source landfills in Kildare and Wicklow.

But he acknowledged that finding a landfill with sufficient capacity which would be through all planning hurdles by the end of 2007 would be difficult.

The proposed super dump site at Tooman, north of Swords, will encompass approximately 300 to 350 acres with a core disposal area of 120 to 150 acres, surrounded by a buffer zone of approximately 250 metres.

However, the entire Tooman project still requires the approval of Fingal County Council and while that is expected to be granted later this month, a decision to proceed will be subject to an environmental impact statement, a waste licence application and planning permission before the site can be developed.

As the region's waste management plan notes: "It is planned to provide this landfill to coincide with the closure of the recently extended Balleally facility in 2009".

The Government had planned to fast track the provision of critical infrastructure but the necessary legislation is understood to be delayed because of the opposition of the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell.

Mr McDowell is understood to have told the Government that waste management facilities should not be included in the Bill.

Mr McDowell has spoken out on a number of occasions against the proposed incinerator, which is to be located in the Poolbeg area in his constituency.