I will highlight the effects of illegal diesel laundering from a local authority perspective and outline the problems Monaghan County Council has had with it over the past several years.
The practice of dumping residues from diesel laundering processes has been a major issue for counties Louth and Monaghan over the past eight years or so. These waste residues, known commonly as diesel wash, are produced through a variety of methods. Over the years this has involved the use of materials such as sulphuric acid, cat litter, charcoal and bleaching earth among others. More recently, the use of bleaching earth appears to be the preferred method of washing diesel. Bleaching earth is an absorbent type clay that has legitimate uses as a cleaning agent.
In County Monaghan the problem is concentrated in the south east along the Border with south Armagh with the majority of the incidents taking place in the rural border region around the Castleblayney and Carrickmacross areas. Between 2004 to January 2012, Monaghan County Council dealt with over 150 separate incidents of diesel wash dumping. In 2004 and 2005, the council dealt with 37 and 27 separate incidents respectively. From 2006 to 2010 there was a steady decline in the number of incidents culminating in only one incident in 2010. However, since the beginning of 2011 there has been a dramatic increase in the number of dumping incidents. Last year, we attended 37 incidents and to date in 2012 we have already had ten such incidents, seven of which were last week alone. Our staff have been out every day of the week, including last Saturday, lifting diesel wash. The past two months have undoubtedly seen the most intense period of diesel wash dumping in the county.
The waste is typically left in containers known as intermediate bulk containers, IBCs. These are square cubed containers with a cage around them, typically seen in industrial estates. The nature and scale of the dumping incidents can vary significantly and can range from one or two containers left on the roadside to an abandoned 40 ft. trailer containing up to 45 IBCs. Each IBC can hold approximately 1,000 litres of waste which is approximately 1 tonne of waste.
At a typical diesel wash dumping incident, several specialist personnel are required on site such as fire brigade personnel, specialist contractors with lifting equipment, council plant to transport the waste and council environment staff. To date since 2004, it is estimated Monaghan County Council has dealt with 276,000 litres of sulphuric acid wash, approximately 276 tonnes, 360 tonnes of contaminated cat litter and 200 tonnes of bleaching earth sludge. An additional 200 tonnes of primarily bleaching earth type waste is currently in storage at our landfill compound pending removal off site.
With the significant price differential between road use diesel and marked diesel, there is scope for huge profits to be made by washing or laundering marked diesel. Regarding the sulphuric acid wash for example, it has been estimated that 1,000 litres of wash found would represent 100,000 litres of washed marked diesel on the market. In Monaghan we have handled approximately 276,000 litres of sulphuric wash. Does this mean 28 million litres of washed diesel was sold on the market?
The costs incurred by Monaghan County Council since 2004 have been approximately €1.5 million. It is estimated the cost of disposing of the material currently in storage at the council's compound is likely to be approximately €200,000.
Apart from the huge costs associated with diesel laundering waste, there are other issues such as the environmental and health and safety dangers posed. In many instances the material is dumped in an extremely careless manner close to watercourses and lakes, posing a major pollution threat. Monaghan County Council in the past has had to take appropriate action to protect watercourses, temporarily turning off public water supplies in some cases. Last week, following an incident in Carrickmacross, we are monitoring private water wells as the material was dumped close to private dwellings.
The sulphuric acid type wash also represents a significant health and safety risk because of its very acidic nature. We have concerns for locals and especially children who may approach dumped material. Another problem is that roads in the county are being left in a very dangerous and slippery condition as a result of this activity. It is a matter of time before there is a serious fatal road accident caused by this dumping.