By Miriam Bell from CommunityNI.org
Published on 27 Jan 2005
Friends of the Earth highlights breach of landfill sites in Northern Ireland.
Friends of the Earth has made a fresh complaint to Europe about Northern Ireland's growing waste problem.
The green group claims that a number of landfill sites have breached the European Landfill Directive by being allowed to close without adequate monitoring and aftercare plans. In some cases the waste disposal licence has simply been filed away or binned.
The Landfill Directive is an important piece of legislation; preventing landfill sites from polluting drinking water and nearby streams and rivers, stopping the build-up of dangerous landfill gases which can cause explosions, and ensuring sites don't cause a nuisance to local people.
Waste Campaigner, Declan Allison, says the blame for this situation lies squarely with DOE, "It is not acceptable for landfill operators to simply lock the gates, hand in their licence and walk away. But this is precisely what DOE has allowed them to do ”.
The closed sites could pose an environmental and health threat for many decades.
Declan explained, “These sites will continue to pollute the environment and damage people's health for 30 or 40 years. They should be carefully monitored and the operators should be liable for any damage they cause. "
"DOE Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is in chaos and is unable to answer a basic question such as how many waste disposal licences are in operation.It is clearly not up to the job.This is further evidence of the need for an independent Environmental Protection Agency .”
For further information contact Friends of the Earth 
9023 3488 or visit the website for the Enviornmental Information Centre in Northern Ireland www.eicni.org .
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