Bottlehill superdump: Indaver incinerator ash fears reignite over Cork County Council site

From ambitious landfill project to mothballed mega-site, Bottlehill’s story reflects changing waste policy, local opposition and unanswered questions

An aerial shot of the Bottlehill landfill site in Co Cork. Sources in the council have said that senior management is preparing to go public shortly to seek expressions of interest in acquiring all or part of the site.

The saga surrounding the white elephant superdump at Bottlehill dates back 24 years when the county council, which was then in the refuse collection business itself, decided it needed to open a major landfill to bury waste generated in the Cork region.

In 2002, the local authority looked at three potential sites, the others being in Grenagh and Watergrasshill, though both of those communities mounted significant opposition.