Illigal dumpsite survey

The Sliabh Luachra Dumpsite Survey was completed in 1999. It identified and mapped 80 illegal dumpsites in the countryside.

This bulky file was presented and published in the Draft Waste Management Plan for Limerick/ Clare/ Kerry, and another copy was delivered to the Kerry county council. There has been no response, or comment, or assurance that anyone is taking note and considering some action on the matter.

In spite of many letters and articles in the local press about the problem, these illegal dumpsites remain; unsightly, a danger to health and the environment and evidence of an uncaring attitude. (see Beauty spot becoming a dumping ground “Fleming speaks out “)

The landfill at Muingnaminane is taking in refuse at an accelerating rate and well above the planned rate of fill. Very soon incineration will be the only solution to deal with so much waste.

Refuse must be separated before landfill or incineration ,so it is important that a properly designed scheme ( like the Herhof system Revolutionary waste treatment process )(or The reCulture) is put in place to minimise waste of resources and pollution of the environment in the long and short term.( For example ; newspaper in a landfill produces methane at a level of 6 times the global warming potential as Carbon dioxide produced if the newspaper were burnt in a power station or home heating.)

There are tremendous opportunities in the environmental business if we sensibly plan our future out of the current situation. Waste should be seen as a resource and recycling and waste management as potential business and employment as much as it is a matter of self respect and Municipal duty.

The Tralee Council has a very commendable and financially sound venture to have it’s own wind-generators to supply it’s electricity needs. In future they could introduce the A car that costs one cent a kilometer to run Compressed air powered vehicle to their motor pool for a perfect ecological system that could be an example to the world ,beneficial to public health and save a lot of money. With more wind-generators in Kerry we could all drive these cars ; a penny a mile and totally clean.

We still have a chance not to be victims; at the mercy of our dependence on polluting petroleum fuel for transport and power generation imported from unstable regions of the world, and liable to unpredictable price increases and increasing environmental taxes in the future; and realise that sensible forethought now could save much grief in the tomorrow that will come.

July 2001, Kerry's eye

If you see an incident of illegal dumping please report the matter to the Environmental Services Section of Kerry County Council at (066) 7121111. We will promptly investigate and address the matter.

P.O'Sullivan, Acting County Secretary

On Monday the 22nd of November 1999, The Draft Waste Management Plan for Kerry, was presented to the members of Kerry county council. On the 27th of October 1999, Sliabh Luachra C.E.S. presented the Kerry County Council with a Illegal Dump Survey, done in the Sliabh Luachra area. Up to today we have not had any further reaction from the council. To our knowledge no big dump side's have been cleaned up. By contacting the council about our local illegal dumps, we can keep the pressure up. The survey shows information on: Location, grid, reference, accessibility, size, contents, impact level and visibility.

About 80 severe illegal dumpsites were discovered in the Sliabh Luachra area.

The general public opinion seems to be one of disgust. Most of these dumps are directly on the roadside, in full view, often in streams. Again most of the dumps contain dangerous items, like batteries and car parts, washing machines, containers of all sorts, in some cases carcasses. These contents mixed with household waste and farm wastes are good conditions for rats to live and breed.

This dangerous environment with the health risk involved, exist right next to living areas.

Numerous Newspaper articles in Local press in 1999 show the enormous concern among the public about the present state of affairs. The dumpsite Survey conducted by Castleisland C.E. Scheme, Rural Development Office in 1999 in the Sliabh Luachra area of Kerry shows an extensive problem exists.

Proposed Solutions:

A clean up of the countryside and many villages. A once off operation, including

campaign of information to deter recurrence. It could be designated as a Millennium Project. The local people in my opinion cannot undertake a clean up of the countryside, as this would be a dangerous job. The fact that most of the dumps are directly on the roadside makes it too dangerous with the traffic. The second problem would be the health hazard, as the contents of most of these dumps are dangerous to handle.

More availability of collection and deposition facilities, (local depots) In towns, villages and rural areas, for mattresses, washing machine, Fridge’s, old iron.

Another possibility could be to have a two or three monthly pick-up. This could also be a private enterprise, stimulated by local funding (job creation).

Madelon greve

Litter and local Government Fund!?

A programme of measures to tackle the country's litter problem. The Litter Pollution Act, 1997, provides local authorities with the powers necessary to tackle litter and requires a new and more structured approach to litter management planning. Increased funding is available to local authorities to fight the litter problem from the significant increase in funding for day to day expenditure available to them in 1999 under the Local Government Fund.

Among the measures now being taken are the

· establishment of an ongoing monitoring regime to assist and review local authority enforcement action and help to identify and eliminate litter black-spots;

· co-funding of selected local authority public education and awareness initiatives in black-spot areas;

· promotion of anti-litter awareness among young people, in co-operation with the Department of Education and Science and through a new schools information programme developed by ENFO;

· provision of financial support for An Taisce's project: National Spring Clean 1999 - a multi-sectoral initiative to raise public awareness and participation in anti-litter initiatives at local level, which includes a central role for local authorities.

contact: colm_keenan@environ.irlgov.ie
e-mail environ@kerrycoco.ie

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Most of these dumps are directly on the roadside, in full view, often in streams. Again most of the dumps contain dangerous items, like batteries and car parts, washing machines, containers of all sorts, in some cases carcasses. These contents mixed with household waste and farm wastes are good conditions for rats to live and breed.

More Information On Herhof

Information on recycling in general and info on the Herhof system, have been send in to consulting engineers M.C. O'Sullivan, as part of Sliabh Luachra's contribution to the Draft Waste Management plan for Limerick, Claire and Kerry, in 1999.

It is 2001, it is time to wake up

A contribution to waste management planning; problems and beyond.

Letter by C. Power, Castleisland.

I am concerned by the situation in Kerry, but of course my concern does not stop there, and my suggestions can apply to the whole of Ireland.

The recent article in the Kerryman "Recycling system where all waste is useful", has spurred me into action to attempt to help. It reports that P.J. Rudden of consulting engineers M.C. O'Sullivan, who has been responsible for drafting most of Ireland's waste management plans, says he would be cautious about the Herhof recycling process. He is quoted "It hasn't yet got a track record, but it is something we should be keeping an eye on". I have enclosed information with this letter that will show the Herhof system has a very good track record. Furthermore, P.J. Rudden ought to have already studied it very thoroughly by now, not "should be keeping a eye on" It is very worrying.

The article "Dempsey to get tough with councils on waste", Apart from the legislative details, this article suggest that the waste management plan involves a "network of incinerators nation-wide". As mass burn incinerator ash is heavily polluted and a problem to dispose of, this plan also includes landfill with it's attendant leachate. The article talks about a serious waste volume crisis, water polluting by leachate, dioxins, widespread opposition to the plan and multi-mollion pound fines from the E.U.

Tell me please, what it is to be cautious about an environmentally positive, zero landfill, low emissions, recycling system like Herhof, and not at all cautious about mass burn incinerator and landfill?. I would really like to know. Seriously.

more of this letter coming as soon

back to environment

Summary

The Herhof System is an integrated system for the treatment of households and commercial waste requiring neither presorting , landfill, nor mass burn municipal incineration. The system works from the premise the waste is a valuable commodity which should be fully utilized. Working from this premise one hundred percent diversion is achieved with the waste being mechanically divided into a high quality industrial fuel for use in, for example cement kilns of for energy production; into a mineral fraction for use in road construction and into the other recyclable of glass, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, batteries and if required plastics. The water extracted from the wet waste is cleaned and used internally for cooking purposes thus achieving 100 percent recycling. The system is flexible and plants can be built economically in any size from 50,000 tones per annum upwards tailored to the needs of the client. The plants are totally enclosed, meet the most stringent European health and safety standards, have state of the art air treatment, do not require a fresh water supply and produce no waste water.

Flexibility

Herhof plants can be built in any size from 50,000 tonnes per annum upwards. Even after being built they continue to be flexible against variations in waste amounts and waste composition delivered to the plant. Due to its modular construction a plant can be adapted very easily to the waste stream entering the plant. Ventilation systems not in use are simply shut off which saves energy. As long as at least 3-4% of the input is easily biodegradable nearly every waste composition can be handled, dried and separated.

A mass burn incineration plant has only a certain window of performance dictated by calorific value of the material and the possible throughput. An increase in calorific value (for instance by introducing a green waste collection system and thereby reducing the overall tonnage received) leads to a reduced throughput with nearly the same costs. An incineration plant once built will produce very high fixed costs if the waste is delivered or not. There is no flexibility in relation to decreasing amounts of waste in the future.

On the other hand the flexibility of a Herhof plant is such that it can, for example, even be partially turned into a composting plant to handle the green and kitchen waste and produce compost which can be sold. This is an option which can not be offered by an incineration system.

Storage and Use

Waste which is going to a traditional mass burn system has to be incinerated at pretty much the same time as it is delivered. A storage of the wet, reactive waste is not possible, so the incinerator has therefore to be planned and constructed on the basis of peak delivery loads. Therefore at some times of the year (e.g. holiday season) the plant does not work at full capacity even though the fixed costs stay the same. Seasonal variations in the composition of waste.

more to come soon.

Illegal Dumpsite Survey for the Sliabh Luachra Area	Cork- Kerry Tourism’s new chairman, Micheal Courtney
illegal dumping please report	Information On Herhof recycling system
Proposed Solutions	A contribution to waste management planning; problems and beyond.
Litter and local Government Fund!?