The High Court has approved the next phase of remediation at the Whitestown landfill in West Wicklow and set a revised programme for works and environmental monitoring through October 2029.
In a judgment delivered on 17 July 2026, Mr Justice Humphreys approved the remediation plan for Zones D, E, F and G, subject to further testing, confirmation of boundaries with known landfill areas and removal of any adjoining contaminated material identified.
The unauthorised landfill began operating around 1979 and has since generated 25 years of litigation involving five sets of proceedings. The High Court first ordered remediation in 2017.
Wicklow County Council awarded the main remediation contract to Priority Construction Ltd in December 2025. Full mobilisation began in March 2026, with works including site access improvements, fencing, groundwater wells and further site investigations.
Testing also detected PFAS, sometimes called "forever chemicals", above detection limits in Zone A and a small part of Zone B, although not in the cap of Zone C. The EPA was notified and further PFAS testing and risk assessment work was planned.
Independent assessor Sean Mason concluded that removal of material from Zones D, E, F and G was not required, provided the correct boundaries with Zones A, B and C were established and further sampling verified that contaminated adjoining ground was identified and removed where necessary.
The court also required Wicklow County Council to take reasonable steps to identify and protect species on the site and to provide ecological reporting. Bat activity has already been confirmed in a new roost constructed in 2025.
The revised timetable provides for Zone C works to finish by 9 October 2027, Zones A and B by 9 July 2028, post-removal works by October 2028 and 12 months of monitoring ending on 9 October 2029. The case was listed for further mention on 12 October 2026.