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A community campaign group has written to politicians on both sides of the border calling for support in their efforts to revoke the waste licence at Warrenpoint Harbour Authority held by Re-Gen Waste. A petition has been set up calling for Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir to revoke the licence.
Rotten to the Point has emailed all South Down MLAs, the South Down MP, all councillors on Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, all County Louth TDs and councillors on the Dundalk/Carlingford Electoral Area of Louth County Council, as well as the WBR Chamber of Commerce, asking them to sign the community petition.
The campaigners say the community now more than ever needs full support with what they describe as a "waste scandal" at Warrenpoint Harbour Authority, pointing to tonnes of waste stored there by Re-Gen Waste, which they call the biggest waste open-air dump in Ireland. They highlight that the facility is based at a seaside town on the shore of Carlingford Lough, looking across at Omeath and the Carlingford Lough Greenway with the new Narrow Water bridge progressing steadily which will make access easier to the gateway to the Mourne coastal route.
A Rotten to the Point spokesperson referring to ongoing complaints about rotten smells in Warrenpoint said "Nothing has changed regarding the tonnes and tonnes of stinking waste smell or the chemicals continuing to be blown all over the town of Warrenpoint and Carlingford Lough."
They are urging all politicians to work together closely with the community to once and for all sort the issue out, saying it needs to be addressed before the upcoming elections in 2027, which are fast approaching, when it will be made top of the agenda by the community.
They say supporting the community also means supporting the new infrastructure that will be affected by the waste, including the new Narrow Water bridge overlooking tonnes of waste, the new greenway and the environmental impact on Carlingford Lough.
The online petition, along with the paper version, has already gained over 3,000 signatures and it will be handed over to Minister Muir in the coming months at Stormont. The group insists this simply cannot go on any longer and be allowed to affect a community like it is doing at present, describing it as a community that needs this addressed and needs to see strong leadership from others. They say Carlingford Lough is fragile and needs to be protected for the community on the entire lough, adding that no amount of PR stunts or fancy videos hides the fact that this is harming a community, a town's name, a lough, its environment and tourism.
The petition can be signed at my.actnowni.org/petitions
