What to do with waste is a problem that the whole country will have to face up to at some point in the future. Within the mushroom industry disposal of waste has already exercised many minds for quite some time now. Research projects addressing the problems are numerous. Sad then to see that some cowboy element is once again managing to rubbish the image of the industry by illegal dumping of the west coast. Broadhaven Bay in Co. Mayo was the scene of an illegal dumping of spent mushroom compost (SMC) last month, according to the Dept. of the Marine and Natural Resources. The mystery "slick" that appeared in the Bay on September 5th, initially thought to be an algal bloom or red tide, was sampled and examined by the Marine Institute's phytoplankton laboratory. There was no trace of an algal bloom and subsequent information received by the Department has pointed the finger squarely in the direction of SMC. Inquiries are continuing into the illegal dumping, and it must be hoped, by all who value the image of the industry, that the perpetrators are brought to account. Stalker would hope that if they are brought to book, that the culprits turn out to be contractors from outside the industry and not anyone from within it.
