The Landfill Directive, first introduced in 1999 and amended in 2011 and 2018, sets standards for landfills to prevent adverse effects on human health, water, soil and air.

It requires member states to ensure that certain technical rules and standards are respected when landfills are constructed, and also requires that the waste brought onto these sites for landfilling is assessed against set criteria and procedures.

It also provides that control and monitoring procedures must be respected, both in the operational and after care phases of the sites, and sets out specifications for the temporary storage of metallic mercury waste.

The European Commission today said that Ireland has “failed to correctly transpose these requirements into national law”.

A letter of formal notice has been sent to Ireland, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission.

In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.