EAST GALWAY WASTE DUMPING HALTED OVER PLANNING ISSUE

Date Published: 22-Apr-2009

Galway City Council says a decision by the County Council to halt the dumping of sewage from the Mutton Island plant at a site near Eyrecourt was related to a planning issue.Some locals in East Galway have objected for some time to the dumping of an estimated 7,000 tonnes of sludge annually in the area.The County Council has reversed the decision to allow the dumping go ahead.At a meeting of the City Council this week, Director of Services, Ciarán Hayes, confirmed that waste is no longer going to East Galway.He says Land Organics is now taking the waste to a facility in Waterford.Director Hayes also stressed that all environmental regulations are being adhered to in terms of waste disposal from Mutton Island.He says the halting of such dumping by the County Council is a planning issue not an environmental issue.MEP Marian Harkin says the EU Commission put pressure on the County Council to state that planning permission was required.