This article is from page 12 of the 2006-08-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
CLARE County Council’s Central Waste Management Facility in Inagh received up to 50 complaints relating to odour and other environmental concerns during the past two years.
In 2004, there were between 40 and 50 complaints about the Ballyduffbeg landfill relating to odour, noise and “miscellaneous” issues. This was the third highest number of complaints in the country relating to licensed waste facilities.
By 2005, the Clare waste facility was still recording between 40 and 50 complaints.
While complaints regarding noise had disappeared, odour remained a concern for those troubled by the site.
In a report entitled ‘Focus on Environmental Enforcement’, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that more than half of all waste complaints received in 2005 related to six facilities, one of which was the Clare Waste Management Facility in Inagh.
The EPA also recorded a significant increase in the number of complaints received with regard to waste facilities over the period.
In total, seven waste facilities appeared on the 2004 and 2005 tables indicating the persistent nature of some of the odour issues, according to the EPA.
Last December, the EPA ordered Clare County Council to address the odour of landfill gas at Ballyduffbeg under threat of further enforcement action.
The warning was given following an unannounced audit of the facility in October,
This stated that the general operation and management of the facility was good.
However, “the key issue to be resolved is the management of the odour emission from the facility.”