Kevin Dunion: "Waste crisis"

In March Scottish National Party MSP Adam Ingram called on one Northern Ireland council to stop dumping its waste in his constituency.

It had emerged that that Ballymena authority was sending about 800 tons a week by lorry and ferry to a privately owned landfill site at Lendelfoot in Ayrshire.

Friends of the Earth said North Down Council had also now voted to allow contractors to begin sending household waste to Scotland.

The Scottish Parliament is due to host an executive-led debate on waste issues on Thursday.

Friends of the Earth Scotland's chief executive Kevin Dunion said: "Scotland has yet to sort out its own waste crisis.

'Farcical situation'

"However, any attempts to deal with our own waste in a sensible manner will be undermined if our ministers continue to allow such imports."

He said the councils in Northern Ireland were practising an extreme version of the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality.

"This farcical situation goes to show how unsustainable current waste practices are on both sides of the Irish Sea.

"We hope this case will help focus the minds of ministers during next week's parliamentary debate," he said.

'Quick fixes'

The emergency motion, which condemns the councils' actions, will be brought before the organisation's meeting on Saturday.

It was proposed by Tracey Lloyd of Aberdeen, who said: "Residents in Scotland and Northern Ireland both know this is not the best way to deal with waste.

"Jobs could be created if those in authority were to be a little more imaginative.

"Instead of quick fixes such as overseas dumping or incineration we need to move to waste reduction and more recycling."