An Taisce welcomes EPA decision to grant restricted license for remediation of illegal landfill owned by Brownfield Restoration, Ireland Limited.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have refused to allow the importation of waste to an illegal landfill at Whitestown, Co. Wicklow and have issued a license requiring the removal of all potentially polluting waste to a licensed facility.

The license conditions prohibit the importation of any waste materials to the site, as applied for in the application submitted by Brownfield Restoration Ireland Limited.

In addition to the removal of harmful waste, the EPA have specified engineering measures to protect the water body during remediation.

An Taisce welcomes the recognition by the EPA of the importance of the salmon spawning headwaters of the Slaney where large volumes of waste have been illegally deposited within 100 metres of the river.

“It is a priority now to remove the harmful pollutants which represent an increasing threat to the salmon spawning beds of the Slaney for many years now”, said an An Taisce spokesperson.

This decision vindicates the concerns raised by An Taisce and local residents who made submissions to the EPA at application stage.