Manager supports closure of loss-making county landfill

CLARE county manager Tom Coughlan last night recommended to councillors that landfilling at the county’s loss-making central waste facility cease.

At the council’s October meeting in Ennis, he said that taking into account the economic circumstances and the current waste environment “I don’t see any option but to accept the recommendation that landfilling cease”.

Mr Coughlan said €4 million is required to extend the landfill and the council would find it very difficult to raise this.

He also said that landfill revenues have fallen from €6.7m in 2003 to a projected €2.1m this year with waste tonnage, decreasing from 59,000 tonnes in 2003 to a projected 21,000 this year.

Mr Coughlan said if the council wanted to increase tonnage landfilled at Shannon it would be impossible due to market forces.

Chair of the Council Special Policy Committee (SPC) on the Environment, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG), said that there is capacity for 275,000 tonnes in the mid-west region, but by 2015 there will only be 75,000 tonnes landfilled.

However, Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) asked that the decision on the future of the landfill be deferred.

A report by the council has found that even when closed the Inagh landfill will cost in excess of €10m over 30 years.

However, to keep the landfill open will cost even more.