Authority calls for change to prevent port stink

There have been protests over the storage of compacted rubbish at Warrenpoint port

Following years of complaints about smells from Warrenpoint Port, its harbour authority has asked a company to stop storing a certain type of waste at the site.

Residents have held several protests over the storage of thousands of tonnes of compacted rubbish at the port by a Newry company, Re-Gen Waste Management.

The waste material, known as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), consists of bales of black bin rubbish which is shipped abroad where it is then burned to produce electricity.

Warrenpoint Harbour Authority said ReGen had now "removed all RDF from the port" and it had called on the firm to transfer the bales directly on to ships in future.

Large bales of black bin waste, wrapped in plastic, were stored at the port during the summer

In a statement, the harbour authority added: "Only Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) is now being stored on site which we have been informed should be non-odorous."

SRF is a different type of waste product which Re-Gen's website describes as a high-grade, low chlorine fuel.

During the SRF production process, rubbish is screened and refined "to remove the contaminants".

'Stench-quench chemicals'

Environmental campaigner Colum Sands founded the campaign group Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment

However, a campaign group which organised protests against ReGen's waste storage facility said Warrenpoint Harbour Authority's (WHA) words were "unlikely to ease concerns".

The group - Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment (R) - is led by environmental campaigner Colum Sands.

In its statement, the group said "news that Re-Gen have now removed all RDF from the port is unlikely to trigger dancing in the streets of Warrenpoint or Omeath".

It added: "If SRF is being stored there now, why has WHA not checked for themselves whether it's non-odorous?"

The group also objects to the regular spraying of ReGen's waste bales with odour control treatment which it describes as "stench-quench chemicals".

Rare said there was no "comfort offered when WHA shares news of a proposal but no news of a resolution" and expressed scepticism about how Re-Gen may respond.

'20,000 tonnes of RDF storage to zero'

Independent councillor Jarlath Tinnelly said he would "endeavour at every turn to help get this matter resolved"

The issue has been causing tensions within WHA for months.

During the summer, two of the three political representatives who sit on its board resigned over its failure to address public concerns about the stench.

But while Sinn Féin councillor Jim Brennan quit, quickly followed by his SDLP colleague Laura Devlin, Independent councillor Jarlath Tinnelly stayed in his post.

In a new statement, he welcomed the recent progress made in tackling the issue.

"I joined the WHA board in August 2024 and promised myself that as a local councillor I would endeavour at every turn to help get this matter resolved from within or I would not remain on the board if that proved an impossible task," Tinnelly said.

"We have gone from 20,000 [tonnes] of RDF storage to zero in just over a year and my job now as part of the board is to ensure this continues."

'Taking every step possible'

On Monday, WHA issued a statement saying it "shares the frustration of the local community relating to the intermittent Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) odours at the port.

"We have had extensive engagement with ReGen over many months on this issue.

"ReGen have now removed all RDF from the port and we have proposed that, in the future, it is not stored at the port but is instead transported directly to ships, for export."

The authority added: "While the removal of RDF is a welcome development, further investigation is required to resolve the odour issue fully.

"We expect ReGen to continue to collaborate constructively with us to achieve this."

The WHA said it had "requested urgent meetings" with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Environment Minister Andrew Muir, and was "taking every step possible to ensure our concerns are addressed".

BBC News NI has contacted ReGen for comment.