Men plead guilty to illegal dumping

Two men have pleaded guilty to the illegal disposal of waste, which included chemical waste and human blood which could transform into gas.

The garda investigation came about following a Wicklow County Council complaint. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard it could cost up to E10 million to make the Co. Wicklow dump safe.

John O’Reilly, Robertstown, Naas, who owned the site at Whitestown, Baltinglass, pleaded guilty to disposing of waste that could cause pollution on a date between November 2000 and December 2001.

Neville Watson, Kilmurray, Trim, Co. Meath, also pleaded guilty to not having a licence under the Waste Management Act for use of the site for dumping waste on the same dates.

Both men are facing civil proceedings in the High Court initiated by the Council. Gardai become involved in 2001 after the complaint by the council. The court heard that it had itself also used the 20-acre site for dumping waste for some years.

O’Reilly had planning permission to use the site as a quarry to extract sand and gravel and did this mainly by licensing others.

He told gardai that some users unloaded waste on the site before taking sand or gravel. He arranged with A1 waste in 1998 that waste could be disposed of.
He was then approached in 2000 by Watson, on behalf of Swalcliffe Ltd, trading as Dublin Waste, who agreed to pay £62.50 (€80.25) per lorry load to dispose of waste there.

Donal O Laoire, an environmental consultant, said the site had been very well covered and hidden.

He was also worried about “risk waste” that would transform into gas.
He said that when a bore hole was dug on the unlawful site, Sonia Deane, assistant engineer with Wicklow County Council collapsed after being exposed to gas and was taken to hospital.