Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called for immediate government action after it emerged today that just 10 per cent of Ireland\u2019s historic landfills have been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s environment spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWaste from old landfills is buried underground in every county in Ireland, often under parks or football pitches. However, a report in the Journal today reveals that hundreds of these sites remain uncertified by the EPA, despite concerns that some may be polluting our waterways and leaking toxic waste.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegulations came into force 15 years ago whereby old landfills \u2013 used for dumping waste between 1977 and 1997 \u2013 were supposed to be certified by the EPA to ensure they did not present any risk. But the Journal\u2019s investigation found that over 260 historic landfills have been left in limbo, despite many of them categorised as being at high or moderate risk of causing environmental damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to see a cross-departmental remediation plan for these sites, as well as clear timelines for certifying all former landfills with the EPA.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeaving the majority of these sites unmanaged for over a decade is completely unacceptable. It\u2019s just another example of the government\u2019s failure to protect our environment and public health.\u201d<\/p>\n
December 2, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called for immediate government action after it emerged today that just 10 per cent of Ireland\u2019s historic landfills have been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s environment spokesperson, said: \u201cWaste from old landfills is buried underground in every county in Ireland, often […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[727,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n