Angry residents claim superdump promises have been broken

ANGRY residents given assurances that a 250-acre superdump would not open prior to the building of a rubbish separating plant claim these promises have been reneged upon.

A preliminary licence to run the controversial Bottlehill landfill, granted yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Cork County Council, is not conditional on the building of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

Cork City Council and Cork County Council officials always indicated the superdump and the MRF were part of a joint waste management strategy and the MRF would ensure only treated waste was sent to Bottlehill.

However, John O’Riordan, spokesman for Bottlehill Environmental Alliance (BEA), said the EPA licence only made a vague reference to treated waste and had not mentioned the MRF. “It says waste should be treated before disposal, but there is no indication of where or how,” he said.

He said the proposed licence also fell down in certain safety aspects.

“It recommends a safety audit be carried out at the Rathduff junction on the N20 and that it be completed prior to the opening of the facility, but it doesn’t say what will happen if the audit finds there is a safety problem.

“But what really astounded me is that there was no mention of people in the report. What about the local people and the objections they made and the concerns they expressed? There is no reference anywhere to any of those, no reference to the local community.”

Bottlehill residents aren’t alone in their concerns about the city and county’s waste management problems.

Those living in the Kinsale Road area, who have lived with the county’s waste on their doorstep since the 1960s, are also up in arms. Earlier this month, the EPA granted a preliminary licence which will prolong the life of the city landfill until mid 2004.

Meanwhile, objectors to the 20-year licence for the Bottlehill superdump, outside Mallow, have until August 19 to pay 190 for the pleasure of doing so while objectors to Kinsale Road landfill have until August 1.