Laois residents and council reach agreement of sorts on landfill

Laois residents and council reach agreement of sorts on landfill

RESIDENTS from the Derryguile and Kyletalesha area and Laois Co. Council have reached agreement in part on a way forward in addressing the odours coming from the landfill site at Kyletelisha.

Following a sometimes heated and emotional meeting early last week in the Macra Hall in Mountmellick where locals vented their anger at the ongoing odour emissions and health concerns from the landfill a further meeting took place between senior council personal and the Kyletalesha Monitoring committee in County Hall last Friday.

At that meeting a progress report was given by the council’s senior engineer John O’Donoghue on the capital works at Kyletalesha. He said the construction of the new landfill cell 14 was 90% complete and the new gas collection system, including state-of-the-art flaring, is operational since November 6. He said the council is employing a landfill gas specialist to carry out a report on the landfill and joint odour controls with gas monitors would be carried out with local residents.

County manager Peter Carey accepted a nuisance had been caused by the odours and said improvements had been made. He confirmed the council’s commitment to carry out works to minimise the nuisance.

Director of services John Daly said the Health Services Executive (HSE) would be commissioned to carry out an independent report into health issues the residents may have.

In reply the Derryguile and Kyletalesha Residents Association welcomed some of the council’s initiatives.

They welcomed the appointment of two independent specialists to deal with the health aspect and gas and odours systems. The arrival of the equipment to monitor the gas emissions and the closure of the landfill to commercial waste were also welcomed.

Mr Daly confirmed the council has ceased taking in waste from commercial operators and emphaised this had nothing to do with the gas or odours but the landfill was reaching its annul licenced capacity.

The residents say: “We believe the cell currently under construction (cell 14) must not be opened until the current odour and gas problems are resolved.

“We have no faith in the flare system currently in place as the odour problems are still there and at the same severity.”

The residents’ spokesperson, Anne Dickinson, said the association is still concerned the council still have plans to take in waste from outside the county.