Vol. 428 No. 5
143 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Marine the volume and type of waste that is authorised to be dumped at sea; the schedule which has been adopted to stop such dumping in line with the Oslo Convention; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The volume and type of waste currently authorised to be dumped at sea is as follows: Industrial waste, 12,500 tonnes; sewage sludge, 340,000 tonnes and dredge spoil (from capital and maintenance dredging at harbours), 725,000 tonnes.
In line with the decisions of the Oslo Convention the dumping at sea of industrial waste will terminate on 31 December, 1995; the dumping of sewage sludge by Dublin Corporation, the only authorised sewage sludge dumper, is being phased out and will be terminated by end 1998. The dumping of dredge spoil will continue to be permitted under the convention subject to detailed analysis of the sediments and increased monitoring of disposal sites.
The Prior Justification Procedure (PJP) under the Oslo Convention which applies to the disposal of industrial waste at sea in the period January, 1993 to December, 1995, provided there are no practical alternatives of disposal on land and the materials cause no harm to the marine environment, has been invoked in the case of one Irish-based company. This company is in the process of switching fully to a land-based treatment plant.
