A Tynwald committee has concluded that the island must urgently overhaul its landfill waste management practices, citing environmental and health concerns linked to outdated “dilute and disperse” methods.
The findings, published in the Environment and Infrastructure Policy Review Committee, call for immediate political action and strategic investment.
Despite a decades-long recognition that landfill is the least desirable form of waste disposal, the island continues to operate unlined sites such as Wright’s Pit North.
These are permitted to discharge leachate into the sea, a practice described by the DoI in 2024 as leaving “a potential legacy of pollution of ground water, rivers, and coastal waters for future generations”.
A controversial extension was given to the site in 2023, allowing its use through to 2030, after it was found to have operated without approval since 2020.
Priorities
The Committee said: “Progressing the construction of a replacement landfill facility, ceasing the practice of ‘dilute and disperse’, and modernising legislation and regulation ought to be policy priorities for the remaining term of the administration.”
In oral evidence given in November 2023, Emily Curphey, Chief Officer at DoI, said: “We have been working for a number of years on a replacement facility for Wright’s Pit North.
“They now need to be fully costed and funding secured for that.”
Meanwhile, Environment Minister Clare Barber acknowledged that the island is “behind the curve, and it is absolutely right that we are aiming away from the dilute and disperse model to a properly lined landfill engineered solution”.
Pledges
The Committee noted that despite repeated pledges stretching back to 2007, no replacement facility has yet been delivered.
The report pointed to “limited progress” and a persistent failure to align with best environmental practices, concluding that the government “has historically, over several years, insufficiently prioritised and resourced waste management”.
The report recommends that Tynwald should:
- Formally end the use of “dilute and disperse” practices.
- Prioritise funding for a new, lined landfill facility.
- Launch a comprehensive review of the Island’s landfill history.
- Monitor legacy sites for contamination.
- Incorporate international waste standards and public health input into the new Waste Strategy, due by December 2025.
Essential
The Committee also warned that “sustained political focus on waste management is essential” and proposed appointing a dedicated member within DoI to provide leadership.
With Wright’s Pit North now approved to operate until 2030, despite longstanding plans to decommission it, the report challenges government departments to stop “letting the perfect be the enemy of the good” and begin implementation work immediately.
The Committee’s Chair, Rob Mercer MLC, called for “constructive dialogue” between regulatory bodies and policymakers.
“Change is needed,” the report states bluntly, “and overdue.”
Full report available via Tynwald: PP 2025/0062 – Landfill Waste Management Review.
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