[Karen Elder - Preseantair] Tha dragh air Comhairle nan Eilean Siar gur dòcha gum bi aca ri sgudal a chur far Eilein Leòdhais agus ’s docha cho fada air falbh ri Nirribhidh mura faigh iad cead a chumail aig Ionad Sgudail Bheinn na Dròbh air Iomaill Steòrnabhaigh. Tha casg ann a-nise fo riaghailtean ùra, cuid de sgudail a thìodhlacadh gus gearradh sìos air na gasaichean a tha a’ dol dhan iarmailt. Tha an aithris seo aig Ruaraidh Rothach.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] Cha gabh an soitheach Gàidhealach ach an làn – agus an Ionad-sgudail aig Beinn na Dròbh mar an ceudna. Tomhais ann gum bi an ionad làn ann am bliadhna eile. Tha riaghailtean ùr’ a’ tighinn a-steach ann an fichead ’s a h-aon a’ toirmisg tìodhlacadh sgudail biodegradable. Tha seo a’ ciallachadh gum feum Comhairle nan Eilean Siar sgudal a chur air falbh mura faigh iad air an t-Ionad aig Beinn na Dròbh a leudachadh agus a chumail ann an shin.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] ’S e brochan uabhasach a tha seo ach tha e gu math draghail, fhios agad, ma dh’fheumas sinn sgur a chur air sgudal àraid a-mach gu Beinn na Dròbh, mar eisimpleir far a bheil sinn ga chur an-dràsta, deasbad a bh’ againn an-diugh ’s e mura faighamaid cead an riaghaltas, tha sgudal a tha sin, irrigation, mar gum biodh, a chur a Beinn na Dròbh mar a tha e a’ dol an-dràsta gun fheumadh e falbh is dòcha bàtaichean-bathair, cho fad’ ris an Nirribhidh no ma thig dad sam bith a stèidheachadh ann an Comhairle nan Gàidhealtachd fhèin.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] ’S e brochan, no bùrach, dòigh air a’ chùis a chur an cèill air barrachd air aon ìre. Cho gann ’s a tha àite bàtaichean-aiseig agus cho doirbh ’s a tha bàtaichean-bathair fhaighinn a’ ciallachadh gum bithear a’ cur sgudal air falbh na ghiùlan cosgail dhan Chomhairle.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] Agus bhiodh duilgheadas an sin ach nam biodh tu a’ cur air falbh ceithir no còig de dh’artics a h-uile latha san t-seachdain. Tha fhios againn na trioblaidean againn le àite air aiseagan. Mar sin ’s e ceist dhuilich a tha seo agus aig an ìre seo, chan eil freagairtean againn air a shon ach mar a bha mi a ràdh aig an toiseach, ’s e brochan uabhasach a tha ann.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] Thog aon de chomhairlichean Chomhairle Eilean Siar aig a’ choinneamh, mas e is gun robh reachdas ùr seo a’ ciallachadh gum biodh aig na h-Eileanan Iar ris sgudal biodegradable aca a chur cho fada air falbh gu Nirribhidh – robh dìon ann dha na h-Eileanan bho na cumhachdan ann an Achd nan Eilean?
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] Tha, tha. Bhiodh dùil againn sin a dhèanamh agus rinn an ceannard gu math soilleir gur e sin a bhiomaid a’ dèanamh, mar a chanas iad sa Bheurla Island Impact assessment gun fheumadh sin a’ tachairt son nach eil buile nas cruaidhe a’ bualadh oirnne mar chomhairle Eileanach seach nam biodh e a’ tachairt air tìr-mòr.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] Ruaraidh Rothach, BBC An Là, Steòrnabhagh.
[Karen Elder - Preseanter] Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles’ Council) are concerned that they might have to move rubbish from the Isle of Stornoway to maybe as far away as Norway if they don’t get permission to keep it at Bennadrove on the outskirts of Stornoway. There is a ban now, under new laws, to bury some rubbish to cut down on atmospheric gases. Roddy Munro has this report.
[Roddy Munro - Journalist] A Highland board won’t take anything but the tide – and likewise the Bennadrove Waste Centre. There is an estimate that the centre will be full in another year. New laws are coming in ’21 banning the burial of biodegradable rubbish. This means that Comhairle nan Eilean Siar will need to send their rubbish away if they don’t get to develop the Bennadrove Centre and keep it there.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] This is awful porridge (a mess) but it is very worrying, you know, if we have to stop sending certain rubbish to Bennadrove, for example where we put it just now, the debate we had today, if we don’t get permission from the government, that rubbish, irrigation, as it was, to send it to Bennadrove as we do just now, it will have to go on maybe cargo boats as far away as Norway or if something can be established in the Highlands itself.
[Roddy Munro - Journalist] Porridge or a mess, is a way to make sense of the matter on more than one level. How few spaces there are for ferries and how hard it is to get a cargo ship means that sending the rubbish away will be a costly burden to the council.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] And there will trouble there as you will have to send four or five arctics every day of the week. We know the trouble we have with space for ferries. As such, it’s a difficult question at this stage, we don’t have answers for it as I said at the beginning, it’s an awful mess.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] At the meeting, one of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar councillors raised that if this new legislation meant that the Western Isles would have to send their biodegradable rubbish as far away as Norway, was there safety for the islands from the powers of the Islands Act?
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] Yes, yes. We would expect to do that and the Head (of the council) made it quite clear that that’s what we would have to do, as they say in English, an Island Impact Assessment, that that must happen so that there isn’t a tougher impact that hits us as an Island council than if it happened on the mainland.
[Roddy Munro - Journalist] Roddy Munro, BBC An Là, Stornoway.
[Karen Elder - Preseantair] Tha dragh air Comhairle nan Eilean Siar gur dòcha gum bi aca ri sgudal a chur far Eilein Leòdhais agus ’s docha cho fada air falbh ri Nirribhidh mura faigh iad cead a chumail aig Ionad Sgudail Bheinn na Dròbh air Iomaill Steòrnabhaigh. Tha casg ann a-nise fo riaghailtean ùra, cuid de sgudail a thìodhlacadh gus gearradh sìos air na gasaichean a tha a’ dol dhan iarmailt. Tha an aithris seo aig Ruaraidh Rothach.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] Cha gabh an soitheach Gàidhealach ach an làn – agus an Ionad-sgudail aig Beinn na Dròbh mar an ceudna. Tomhais ann gum bi an ionad làn ann am bliadhna eile. Tha riaghailtean ùr’ a’ tighinn a-steach ann an fichead ’s a h-aon a’ toirmisg tìodhlacadh sgudail biodegradable. Tha seo a’ ciallachadh gum feum Comhairle nan Eilean Siar sgudal a chur air falbh mura faigh iad air an t-Ionad aig Beinn na Dròbh a leudachadh agus a chumail ann an shin.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] ’S e brochan uabhasach a tha seo ach tha e gu math draghail, fhios agad, ma dh’fheumas sinn sgur a chur air sgudal àraid a-mach gu Beinn na Dròbh, mar eisimpleir far a bheil sinn ga chur an-dràsta, deasbad a bh’ againn an-diugh ’s e mura faighamaid cead an riaghaltas, tha sgudal a tha sin, irrigation, mar gum biodh, a chur a Beinn na Dròbh mar a tha e a’ dol an-dràsta gun fheumadh e falbh is dòcha bàtaichean-bathair, cho fad’ ris an Nirribhidh no ma thig dad sam bith a stèidheachadh ann an Comhairle nan Gàidhealtachd fhèin.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] ’S e brochan, no bùrach, dòigh air a’ chùis a chur an cèill air barrachd air aon ìre. Cho gann ’s a tha àite bàtaichean-aiseig agus cho doirbh ’s a tha bàtaichean-bathair fhaighinn a’ ciallachadh gum bithear a’ cur sgudal air falbh na ghiùlan cosgail dhan Chomhairle.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] Agus bhiodh duilgheadas an sin ach nam biodh tu a’ cur air falbh ceithir no còig de dh’artics a h-uile latha san t-seachdain. Tha fhios againn na trioblaidean againn le àite air aiseagan. Mar sin ’s e ceist dhuilich a tha seo agus aig an ìre seo, chan eil freagairtean againn air a shon ach mar a bha mi a ràdh aig an toiseach, ’s e brochan uabhasach a tha ann.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] Thog aon de chomhairlichean Chomhairle Eilean Siar aig a’ choinneamh, mas e is gun robh reachdas ùr seo a’ ciallachadh gum biodh aig na h-Eileanan Iar ris sgudal biodegradable aca a chur cho fada air falbh gu Nirribhidh – robh dìon ann dha na h-Eileanan bho na cumhachdan ann an Achd nan Eilean?
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] Tha, tha. Bhiodh dùil againn sin a dhèanamh agus rinn an ceannard gu math soilleir gur e sin a bhiomaid a’ dèanamh, mar a chanas iad sa Bheurla Island Impact assessment gun fheumadh sin a’ tachairt son nach eil buile nas cruaidhe a’ bualadh oirnne mar chomhairle Eileanach seach nam biodh e a’ tachairt air tìr-mòr.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] Ruaraidh Rothach, BBC An Là, Steòrnabhagh.
[Karen Elder - Preseanter] Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles’ Council) are concerned that they might have to move rubbish from the Isle of Stornoway to maybe as far away as Norway if they don’t get permission to keep it at Bennadrove on the outskirts of Stornoway. There is a ban now, under new laws, to bury some rubbish to cut down on atmospheric gases. Roddy Munro has this report.
[Roddy Munro - Journalist] A Highland board won’t take anything but the tide – and likewise the Bennadrove Waste Centre. There is an estimate that the centre will be full in another year. New laws are coming in ’21 banning the burial of biodegradable rubbish. This means that Comhairle nan Eilean Siar will need to send their rubbish away if they don’t get to develop the Bennadrove Centre and keep it there.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] This is awful porridge (a mess) but it is very worrying, you know, if we have to stop sending certain rubbish to Bennadrove, for example where we put it just now, the debate we had today, if we don’t get permission from the government, that rubbish, irrigation, as it was, to send it to Bennadrove as we do just now, it will have to go on maybe cargo boats as far away as Norway or if something can be established in the Highlands itself.
[Roddy Munro - Journalist] Porridge or a mess, is a way to make sense of the matter on more than one level. How few spaces there are for ferries and how hard it is to get a cargo ship means that sending the rubbish away will be a costly burden to the council.
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] And there will trouble there as you will have to send four or five arctics every day of the week. We know the trouble we have with space for ferries. As such, it’s a difficult question at this stage, we don’t have answers for it as I said at the beginning, it’s an awful mess.
[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-naidheachd] At the meeting, one of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar councillors raised that if this new legislation meant that the Western Isles would have to send their biodegradable rubbish as far away as Norway, was there safety for the islands from the powers of the Islands Act?
[An Comh. Ùisdean Robasdan] Yes, yes. We would expect to do that and the Head (of the council) made it quite clear that that’s what we would have to do, as they say in English, an Island Impact Assessment, that that must happen so that there isn’t a tougher impact that hits us as an Island council than if it happened on the mainland.
[Roddy Munro - Journalist] Roddy Munro, BBC An Là, Stornoway.