A NATIONAL database covering all categories of waste produced in the Republic is being compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency to measure the progress made, if any, on recycling and waste reduction.
The database will include household and commercial waste, hazardous and non hazardous industrial waste, as well as geographically referenced information on the locations of waste recovery, recycling and disposal facilities.
Mr Gerry Carty of the EPA, said the "dynamic" computerised database would be able to "track" changes in the amount of waste being generated and the amount still being consigned for dumping in landfill sites.
He was speaking at a press conference in Dublin to mark the publication by the EPA of new statutory standards for the operation of landfill sites as well as drinking water supplies and sewage treatment plants.
The technical manuals published yesterday cover site investigation and monitoring of landfills. They are the first in a series dealing with all aspects of landfilling from site selection to termination of use and aftercare.
Mr Carty stressed that the EPA does not see landfills alone as the answer and that it supports national policy on waste prevention, reduction and re use. But he said landfill dumping would continue to be the major disposal
"It must be recognised that almost everybody in Ireland contributes to the growing waste mountain ... and so must bear a share of the responsibility," he said, adding that the amount of waste had increased by 30 per cent over the past 10 years.
He accepted that much local opposition to landfills and waste disposal in general was based on "past operation practices and concern about impacts on health the local environment". But modern landfill design would alleviate these problems.
Mr Carty referred to new landfill sites, designed to meet the latest EU requirements, as "engineered containment structures" where the leachate would be collected and treated and the sites "monitored and managed by technically competent persons".
Routine monitoring of groundwater, surface water and meteorological data would be required to assure the public that pollution control measures were working. Each landfill site would also have weighbridges, reception areas for recycleables and other facilities.
Under the Waste Management Bill, all landfill sites would have to be licensed by the EPA. "It can be expected that design and operational requirements for the landfilling of waste will be far stricter and more comprehensive than those that applied in the past," Mr Carty said.
Ms Anne Butler, one of the EPA's five directors, said landfill licensing would probably start later this year and would apply to, all sites currently in use. The manuals published yesterday would assist local authorities and other operators in meeting the new standards.
It is estimated that 114 landfills were in operation in 1994, compared with 205 a decade earlier. Many of those currently in use are close to maximum capacity and will close within the next 10 years. This trend is likely to continue as it becomes increasingly expensive Mr Carty said.
