Up to 26 tonnes of toxic waste collected at one day event

Approximately 26 tonnes of hazardous waste was collected in just four hours at an event hosted by Cavan County Council last weekend.

Aimed at combating environmental damage caused by the illegal dumping of toxic substances, the collection event was held at Corranure Recycling Centre last Saturday, August 20. Despite torrential rain, a huge number of people showed up with vehicles and trailers packed with cans of paints, herbicides and other noxious.

However, excellent planning and stewarding ensured that queues were kept to a minimum in Corranure, and with more stewarding on the main road, vehicles could exit the facility safely.

Cavan County council spokesperson, Brona Keating was delighted by the response from public.

“The collection day was a huge success with 268 individuals having made use of the facility and approximately 26 tonnes of hazardous waste retrieved.”

A range of toxic materials were collected including household paint and solvents, aerosols, pesticides, herbicides, medicinal waste from farming and waste oil.

“The safe and appropriate collection and disposal of these materials is of concern to the local authority due to their pollution potential to the county’s watercourses and surrounding environments, in incidents where they are illegally disposed of,” explained Brona.

The initiative was co-partnered with various local task groups in a bid to salvage and reuse viable paints from the collection day.

“Over one tonne of household paint and varnish was diverted from the general collection and will be used for town and village rejuvenation projects undertaken by committees such as Tidy Towns,” says Brona, happy that some of the waste can be used to improve the local area.

Treatment

Due to the complex and hazardous nature of the materials collected, they can only be handled by bespoke waste treatment facilities, most of which are located in countries such as Germany and Denmark. The wastes collected at Corranure on Saturday will now make their way to these facilities where they will be recovered.

Illegal dumping of waste materials in Ireland is a major challenge faced by Cavan County Council and has a devastating effect on the natural environment. Last Saturday’s collection was one of various projects undertaken by Cavan County Council under the 2022 Anti-Dumping Initiative for which they secured funding from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications earlier this year.

Cavan County Council’s next special event is a bulky waste drop-off day on Saturday, September 3 at Corranure Civic Amenity Centre, H12DK61 from 8am-12.30pm. This service is for domestic households only; strictly not commercial use.