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An independent environmental report concerning Warrenpoint Harbour Authority and Re-Gen Waste has been published following odour and fly complaints regarding the Warrenpoint Port facility by residents, businesses and elected representatives. The report sees both organisations apologise for the fly and odour issues that resulted in 42 complaints being made. Practical Waste Solutions carried out an Environmental Audit at the Re-Gen Waste Transfer Station where bales of refuse derived fuel are stored.
Complaints
Residents said because of the odour and flies the were embarrassed to invite friends and relatives to their home and having to keep windows closed during the warmer weather, to prevent the smell and flies coming indoors. Outdoor activities, such as barbeques
were impacted, because of ‘swarms of flies’ and the strong odour. As well as this residents expressed concerns about house prices. A lack of engagement with the local community by WHA specifically was also mentioned including non-attendance at various public meetings and protests. A lack of transparency around Freedom of Information requests made by residents to WHA was another concern. Whilst the licence holder is Re-Gen, the feeling from residents is that, as andlords, WHA have an obligation to ensure that the community is not affected by any operations carried out by their tenants. Concerns were also expressed that the deodouriser employed at the Waste Transfer Station may have a detrimental effect on health. Residents also expressed concerns around the likelihood of the situation returning to the levels experienced during summer/autumn 2023.
Report key findings
• Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) stored at a licenced facility within WHA.
• Preliminary findings indicate instances of out-of-date bales, compromised bales, bales stored outside the licenced area, with associated odour and fly activity.
• Multifaceted improvement strategy implemented by Re-Gen.
• Significant reduction in the number of bales stored and an improvement in the condition of the bales, due to a much reduced ‘dwell time’.
• Progressive improvements recorded in recent months with a reduction in reported odours and fly activity.
• Poor communication between Re-Gen and WHA with respect to regulatory correspondence. WHA did not and do not receive copies of non-compliances from either Re-Gen or the NIEA.
• Perceived lack of engagement with residents and local businesses by the two main stakeholders.
• Other potential sources of odour and flies identified.
Recommendations
Following the report produced by Practical Waste Solutions, key recommendations were made. These were agreed by Warrenpoint Harbour Authority and agreed within reason by Re-Gen. The recommendations include a Target time of 6 weeks 'dwell time' for Re-Gen bales rather than 3 months, a targeted reduction in bale height to max 8 bales, Re-Gen should also share all relevant regulatory correspondence with WHA, WHA is to appoint an Environmental Officer. It was also recommended that there should be ongoing and regular independent monitoring of the waste facility and better stakeholder engagement.
Re-Gen have been operating a Waste Transfer Station at Warrenpoint Port since 2013. The permitted tonnages have increased from that time, to the current maximum throughput of 500,000 tonnes per annum, with a maximum holding tonnage of 20,000 tonnes at any one time. July 2023 saw a significant increase in the volume of material passing through the WTS. PWS understands this was a result of Re-Gen securing new contracts with Local Councils.
'Much more that we need to do'
In a statement to the media Dr Gerard O'Hare, Chair of Warrenpoint Harbour Authority said “On behalf of the Board I would, once again, like to apologise for the odour and fly issue that arose last year and I want to assure the whole community that we will be implementing the recommendations of the Environmental Audit Report, in full, to help prevent any future recurrence.
“While measures that have been put in place have helped, we recognise that there is much more that we need to do. That is why we have engaged with Re-Gen to ensure that all the recommendations, which exceed the statutory requirements set out by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, are implemented in full.”
Dr O’Hare added, “We want to be good neighbours to the people of Warrenpoint and we know that we need to rebuild their trust. We are fully committed to working closely with the local community to ensure that we contribute to the economic and social fabric of Warrenpoint in a constructive and positive way.
“To help us deliver on these commitments we are employing a new Environmental Officer, and we are establishing a new Community Forum which will consider a broad range of Port operations and developments, to which we will invite residents, local businesses and other stakeholders to sit on and influence in the months and years ahead.”
Apologise
Joseph Doherty, Chief Executive of Re-Gen, said: “We have reviewed the independent report from Warrenpoint Harbour Authority, one which sets out in very clear terms the potential causes of the odour and fly issues encountered last summer. We apologise again to residents and other local stakeholders for the part Re-Gen played in the issues raised and commit to continuing to do our utmost to prevent a repetition in the future.
“We are reassured by the report that the actions we took to address the issues last summer were effective and that the additional measures we have taken are in line or exceed those recommended by the authors. We also welcome the acknowledgement that there are other potential sources of odour and flies in the vicinity which have contributed to the problem.
“As a team, we look forward working alongside all local stakeholders in the future. Warrenpoint is an important location for Re-Gen, not just as a base for the business, but also a place where many of our employees live. As such, it is a key priority for us to operate in harmony alongside our neighbours.”
The Re-Gen Waste facility in Newry processes blue and black bin waste from both the local area and many other councils. As much product as possible is recycled, sending the recyclate to customers who are able to reuse plastic, carboard and other products, and reducing reliance on virgin products. The small portion which can’t be recycled – which might include cardboard which has been in contact with food or similar material and known as refuse derived fuel (RDF) - is baled, wrapped and shipped to northern Europe where it is used to fuel highly efficient power plants which not only produce electricity but are also used to heat homes and businesses via district heating systems.
In the near future Re-Gen say they plan to begin producing solid recovered fuel (SRF) from their new plant in Newry. SRF is a dried, higher-grade product and will constitute an increasingly larger portion of their exports in the years ahead.
