Move to increase dumping near beach condemned

A DECISION to increase the amount of waste dumped close to one of the country’s most popular beaches has been condemned as ‘lunacy’ by an irate local politician.

The plan by Waterford County Council to increase dumping at its landfill site close to Tramore beach has been slammed by Tramore town councillor Michael Flynn. He has mounted a campaign to stop the council from proceeding with its plans to increase dumping at the local landfill. Up to 15,000 tonnes of refuse per annum are landfilled at Tramore.

But the council plans to boost this to 22,000 from this summer due to the closure of its Dungarvan landfill.

"I am now raising the alarm and calling on every person living in Tramore - business people, the chamber of commerce, tourism interests, environmentalists, lobby groups to stop the council in its tracks," said Cllr Flynn.

"If nothing is done, Tramore will become the county council's only municipal dump, which is nothing short of outrageous in view of its location and the importance of tourism and the environment to the resort.

"This landfill at the Backstrand has been a major source of concern to environmentalists and residents alike for decades now. Tramore dump has been in operation for more than 60 years and it became a grave concern to environmentalists two decades ago because of the threat it posed to an area of extraordinary beauty and a wild bird habitat of international importance.

"It has been designated a Special Area of Conservation, it is a special protected area and is also a proposed National Heritage Area. It is nothing short of madness to increase dumping at this sensitive site when a modern engineered landfill facility exists at Carrigtwohill in east Cork, which is not significantly further from Dungarvan than is Tramore," Cllr Flynn said.

He believed this facility in Cork could provide an interim solution until Waterford County Council gets a positive decision in relation to its proposed new facility at Garrynagree in west Co Waterford.