A PROMINENT Green Party activist has lodged an official complaint with the European Commission accusing his party leader, environment minister John Gormley, of failing to implement EU directives designed to reduce the amount of waste being put in landfill.

Fergal O'Byrne, who was the party's candidate in the 2005 Meath by-election, fears the government's inaction will cost Ireland millions in fines after the introduction of stringent new EU landfill targets next July.

His complaint includes a letter from Gormley in which the minister admits that the amount of waste being diverted from landfills must double within 18 months to avoid "the risk of infringement proceedings before the European Court of Justice (with the potential of substantial fines"). Although the minister is confident of meeting the targets, O'Byrne said he was ducking the issues.

"He says we can magically deal with the waste in some other way but he doesn't have the means to do it because our party has set itself against incineration. In my view, city-based incineration is the only solution to this mess."

O'Byrne denied that the complaint was linked to tensions in the party between its leadership and its grassroots members, some of whom believe Gormley has compromised the party's green credentials to cling onto power.

"I'm not going after John Gormley with this complaint. I have been fighting this issue since 1996. During that time, everyone has been in government except Sinn Féin, all of whom who have done nothing. I'm not going to start ducking the issue because of Minister Gormley," he said.

O'Byrne's complaint deals mainly with his battle against the Knockharley landfill in Co Meath and the lack of waste separation at Irish landfills, meaning that potentially reusable and recyclable material is often dumped.

"The government is leaving it to householders to sort their waste properly, which I believe is not sufficient under EU legislation. There is no proper systematic treatment of waste prior to dumping and the amount of reusable and recyclable waste being landfilled here is increasing as a result."

A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said Gormley had engaged seriously with Ireland's landfill problem.

"Since Minister Gormley took office he has initiated a review of waste policy. This review continues the internationally recognised hierarchy of reduction, reuse and recycle. Minister Gormley's least preferred options are landfill or incineration. His focus is on mechanical biological treatment [MBT]."