Wicklow needs protection from illegal waste - FG

Fine Gael has said the Government must ensure waste from construction work in Dublin is not being illegally dumped in Co Wicklow…

Fine Gael has said the Government must ensure waste from construction work in Dublin is not being illegally dumped in Co Wicklow.

Mr Billy Timmins TD said he has serious concerns that excavation waste from infrastructural works in the capital was being illegally disposed of in the county.

"Following recent revelations that Wicklow County Council may have discovered the largest illegal dumpsite in the country, it is imperative the Government provide sufficient resources to the council to enable them to address this dire situation," he said.

"There is speculation that rubble from Government projects is covertly ending up in Wicklow. If this is true, the Government must immediately step in and stop this illegal activity. The people of Wicklow deserve better.

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"The Minister for the Environment and all other Ministers involved in infrastructural development, must ensure that all waste generated by these projects is disposed of in a suitable manner."

The Green Party called on the Government to provide funding to Wicklow County Council to help it investigate illegal dumps in the county.

Wicklow authorities is examining what is believed to be the largest illegal dump discovered near Blessington. The site is said to be four miles outside Blessington along the Wicklow-Kildare border.

Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rubbish, including medical waste, have been found illegally dumped in Co Wicklow in the past year.

Green spokesman on the environment Mr Ciaran Cuffe said: "It is not realistic to expect a local authority to continue to carry out timely and effective investigations into the growing number of illegal dumps, to clamp down on the ongoing illegal waste activities and to be in a position to prosecute those responsible through the courts without some considerable assistance from the Department of the Environment."