Three sites remain on the priority list for quarter one of 2025, including anaerobic digestion (AD) site Timoleague Agri Gen in Cork.
The EPA has made two recent convictions against facilities for non-compliance, including Killarney Waste Disposal Unlimited Company which was fined €500,000 last year.
Doctor Tom Ryan, director of the EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement, said: “These convictions and the substantial fines imposed are an important endorsement of the ‘polluter pays’ principle in this jurisdiction.
“However, with the appropriate management commitment to environmental protection and to sufficient investment in infrastructure, of these sites can comply with statutory requirements and be good neighbours to local communities.
“Companies that fail to respect their licence conditions, cause nuisance to neighbours and put the environment at risk will be held to account by EPA.”
National Priority Sites 2024
The waste sites on the 2024 list were: Carrowbrowne LF in Galway, Glenmore Biogas in Donegal, Starrus Eco in Waterford, Timoleague Agri Gen in Cork and Wellman International in Leath.
The 2024 list was dominated by waste and food and drink facilities, with odour emissions and increased risks to rivers and groundwater being common compliance themes, alongside poor operational management and a lack of investment in infrastructure.
The sites were released in the EPA’s Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Summary 2024.
The report details EPA enforcement activities across industrial and waste sites that hold an EPA licence and highlights key compliance trends in 2024.
Site inspections
Pamela Mc Donnell, programme manager at the EPA, said: “Inspections are a vital enforcement tool that help us to identify and target those that are failing to comply.
“Legal action also sends a clear message: that non-compliance has serious consequences.
“While there has been a notable reduction in complaints from the public in the vicinity of licensed facilities, these remain a valuable source of intelligence for our enforcement activity.
“The EPA will continue to escalate its enforcement activities at those sites with the poorest compliance records.”
The agency carried out 1,300 inspections to its 905 licensed industrial and waste sites across 2024.
96% of the inspections were unannounced, which Mc Donnell said allowed them to gain a true picture of the compliance challenges at each site.
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