ILLEGAL DUMPING A SCOURGE ON THE ENVIRONMENT.

A major problem that has been going on for decades but seldomly making main stream news. Every country worldwide has major issues with no solution in sight. In Ireland a reporter visits 46-hectare site – believed to be one of the largest illegal waste dumps in Europe – as apocalyptic and eerie. “The waste isn’t piled up any more, it’s all underground,” he says. “But the fact you can’t see it makes it more sinister.” He remembers seeing pools that were “bubbling a horrible silver” and “looking toxically otherworldly.” For years, criminals posed as legitimate businesses to scam councils across Northern Ireland into paying them to illegally dump families’ recycling on the site – which is in a special area of conservation. The impact on drinking water and the nearby river worry the community, while a local vet has reported a sharp rise in cows getting sick and dying in the area.
“The toxins are in the groundwater and that is flowing into the river,”. “Even the former environment minister says it’s a ticking timebomb and a crisis that could become a catastrophe.” Financially, it’s already a catastrophe. The clean-up of the site, which had everything from asbestos to arsenic, will cost an estimated £100m.

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