January 15th, 2018
The Green Party has called for a review of waste licensing in the wake of a major fire at a metal recycling plant in Co Dublin last week.
The blaze broke out in a shed at a car recycling plant on St Margaret’s Road close to Swords and Dublin airport last Wednesday.
The Dublin Fire brigade was called in around 9 am and it took eight fire units to get the blaze under control. Fingal County Council offered additional assistance by increasing water pressure.
The fire in St Margarets is now under control. Some units will be released from the scene shortly, however some will remain to dampen down any hot spots. We would still advise any residents in the surrounding area to keep their windows closed. #Dublin #Fire pic.twitter.com/b8sTY9Xd23
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) January 10, 2018
Minister for the Environment Denis Naughten confirmed last week that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was monitoring any possible impact on air quality after Wednesday’s fire.
History repeating itself
According to Green Party Councillor, Ciarán Cuffe, the incident outlined the need to hold an investigation into Ireland’s licensing procedures.
He added that the fire was a case of history “repeating itself” as a similar fire occurred four years ago at a similar facility in Ballymount, Co Dublin.
The fire at Oxigen Environmental Recycling Plant in Ballymount in January 2014 burnt for five days and the company was fined €18,000 for holding waste in a manner likely to endanger humans or harm the environment.
“It seems clear that we need to improve both planning, fire safety certification and licensing procedures for such facilities,” Cllr Cuffe added. “Vast amounts of toxic substances are being released into the air each time a fire like this breaks out”.
#Drone video of a fire in North Dublin today. We use the drone to see inaccessible areas & thermal imagery to identify hotspots. Thanks to ATC for permission to use airspace #RPAS #sUAS #UAV #dronesforgood #dronestagram pic.twitter.com/jI1nlVULg9
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) January 10, 2018
Access to environmental information
Cllr Cuffe called on the EPA to “up their game” on how they manage facilities such as recycling plants and that licensing information is “hard to find on the EPA’s website.
“This makes it virtually impossible for the public to locate clear information in a timely manner,” Cllr Cuffe added.
A report from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) released last November came to a different conclusion, finding that the EPA offers Irish citizens “excellent access to information”.
Researchers from the EEB – Europe’s largest network of environmental organisations – examined information on permitting conditions for all major industrial plants, including coal-fired power stations, large waste incinerators, and intensive agricultural facilities.
The EPA’s website ranked the highest among all the sites examined as part of the study and should serve as a benchmark for other EU states, the report states.
EEB researchers found the EPA’s website “easy to use” and the search function to be a “useful and powerful tool” for users to quickly and accurately find information. The researchers also commended the ability to subscribe to RSS feeds linked to permit numbers on the EPA website.
The EPA website provides information on the industrial licensing decision-making process, environmental impact assessments, industrial emissions data and, most recently, on compliance performance at industrial facilities.
“This is a true example of proactive action to ensure that citizens have ample time to intervene to defend their environmental rights,” the report states.
