Millions spent on clearing waste site
WORK is ongoing to complete a project of removal and reinstatement of lands at Timoole near Duleek, blighted by unauthorised dumping over a number of years.
Meath CC moved onto the site last year and have removed 61,000 tonnes of waste to Knockharley landfill, bringing in over 40,000 tonnes so far of clean material to replace it.
The waste found on site was expected - domestic, commercial and industrial - but no hazardous waste. Unused absorbent sheeting from hospitals was also found.
Some €3.5m has been paid out in relation to the removal costs so far. The funding is coming from the government.
Additional gas and water monitoring boreholes are to be drilled and remedial works are to be carried out on the road into the site. Some 10,000 truck movements have been registered at the site so far.
Efforts have been made to reduce the odour with those on site reporting that during its removal, the smell from the waste ranged from ‘ bad to very bad.’
The administration of the project has been seen as a success with the community and councillors consulted at every step.
Caroline Corrigan, the public liaison officer on site, addressed a recent council meeting and outlined the strategy.
‘‘It’s all about information and people respect that. It wasn’t good news all the time but that’s the way a crisis should be handled,’ Cllr Wayne Harding stated.
Funding will now go into the community fund for the Knockharley area and it is hoped that flooding issues locally can be tackled as a result.
Fellow councillors also praised the level of transparency with the project.
‘I was on the site years ago and it was a green field, but residents knew what was buried in it. It is the first time the council has cleaned up something like this,’ Cllr Tom Kelly added.
Cllr Paddy Meade said the owners of the site were ‘very fortunate’ to get it cleaned up at no cost to them.