asked the Minister for the Environment the Government policy with regard to discouraging the use in this country of landfill as an appropriate dumping ground of all forms of untreated hazardous wastes which at present is the practice here; if his attention has been drawn to a recent speech by Mr. Thomas Voltaggio of the United States Environmental Protection Agency who said that hazardous wastes dumped as landfill pose a potential environment timebomb; that land filling of untreated hazardous wastes has been outlawed in the United States in view of the major possibility of groundwater pollution of leaking dumps and other hazards; what the Government's policy is in this respect; the numbers of dumps at present in this country where such practices occur; and his intentions in this respect for the future.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hazardous Wastes.
I have no knowledge of the statements referred to. I am assured, however, that properly engineered and properly managed landfill is internationally accepted as a technically sound and environmentally satisfactory means of disposing of an extensive range of industrial waste, including certain hazardous wastes. There are, of course, many wastes which are definitely not suitable for landfill.
Under the European Communities (Toxic and Dangerous Waste) Regulations, 1982, each local authority are responsible for the planning, organisation and supervision of operations for the disposal of any toxic and dangerous wastes which arise in their functional area. In practice, about two thirds of the hazardous wastes which arise in this country are suitably disposed of by the producers.
Most of the balance is exported for treatment and disposal abroad and only a small percentage is landfilled. I am not in a position to give details of the number of landfill sites at which hazardous wastes are accepted for disposal. There is no evidence, however, to suggest that other than satisfactory disposal standards are employed.
I feel sure I will have the co-operation of Deputy Keating in enabling me to dispose of the two remaining questions.
I will not stand in the Chair's way. The Minister said he was not in a position to give details of the location and numbers of landfill sites at which hazardous wastes were dumped. That was in my question. May I ask that the Minister either now or at a future date supply that information to the House because he should be anything but consoled about the open season in terms of dumping of hazardous waste and toxic waste all over the country, particularly when such practices are banned in other countries and are not accepted internationally, as his reply says. When he stands here and admits that he cannot even give the number of those sites, that is alarming——
I asked for brevity.
I take the point the Deputy is making. As he knows, landfill sites are being used by every local authority, and there are registers of the local authorities — I am sure the Deputy does not want a long list——
The Minister said most of them are suitably disposed of——
I am calling Question No. 59.
If the landfill sites are properly planned and organised this is an acceptable way for disposing of waste. Not all hazardous waste should be disposed of by landfill——
We will have to deal with this again.
The Deputy will be getting an opportunity because of the study I will be looking at.