By Ryan Sands
The council has unanimously backed an emergency notice of motion calling for the removal of RDF (refuse-derived fuel) waste from Warrenpoint Port. The proposal to remove the “unacceptable and unsuitable” waste was tabled and seconded respectively by Sinn Féin Crotlieve councillors Mickey Ruane and Kate Murphy at Monday’s monthly local authority meeting and came just days after their party and the SDLP withdrew from the board of Warrenpoint Harbour Authority (WHA).
The motion began by calling on the council to condemn “the ongoing and escalating negative impact that the storage and handling of household waste by Re-Gen Waste at Warrenpoint Port is having on the people of Warrenpoint and the surrounding area”.
It also sought to highlight “the serious and persistent deterioration in environmental and public health conditions”, which “are not only a major nuisance but represent a growing public health risk to residents, particularly those living in close proximity to the port”.
The proposal also sought condemnation for “the reappearance of these unacceptable environmental nuisances during the recent Wake The Giant Festival” and voiced concern about the “likely disruption to other summer festivals and community activities should this issue remain unresolved”.
It asserted that “the ongoing presence of RDF waste in a densely populated, residential and recreational area is wholly inappropriate and has resulted in residents being forced to endure foul smells, an inability to open windows, enjoy outdoor spaces or run local businesses without disruption”, adding that “Warrenpoint’s economic prosperity, social wellbeing, and long-term reputation are under serious threat if immediate action is not taken to end this situation, which has persisted for over two years”.
Concluding, the motion called on council to write to WHA, DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) Minister Andrew Muir and NIEA (Northern Ireland Environment Agency) to make clear “that the handling and storage of RDF waste in Warrenpoint, in such close proximity to homes, is unacceptable and unsuitable” and to call on them to “initiate formal discussions with Re-Gen”.
Speaking on the proposal, Cllr Ruane said that it was “not a kneejerk reaction to the most recent smell, which is obvious in the town”. He added that he and his party colleagues have been meeting with WHA and Re-Gen since the odour issue first became prominent in 2023.
“At the very outset, we said to them that, if they can’t come up with a solution to this issue, at some stage, we would have to call for the RDF waste to be removed from the port,” the local representative continued. “People are disappointed that it is still there, they are angry that it is still there. They are angry that it is still interrupting the lives of people in Warrenpoint.”
Cllr Ruane stated that, during the Wake The Giant festival, “everybody commented on the smell that there was in the town” before pointing out that the town is hosting the Ulster Fleadh later this month. “We are getting visitors who probably haven’t been to Warrenpoint before,” he added. “What you want to do when you get them there is you want them to come back. But if they are going to come to the town and they are going to have to deal with a smell that is so obvious around the town, it will have the opposite impact.”
The Sinn Féin councillor said that, from the outset, “we have given space and time to both WHA and Re-Gen to come up with solutions to this”. “We have gone and met with them, and we have stated our case to them, unlike some, who, I would say, all they do is seem to shout about this issue, go on Facebook and voice their opposition to it,” he stated. “But they never actually go and meet with those who are responsible for it to state their case on behalf of the people of Warrenpoint. That is what we have done from the outset – we have represented the people that have voted us in, in relation to this issue.”
Henry Reilly (DUP, Mournes) described the smell as “atrocious” and “definitely a deterrent to visitors coming”. “Why can they not be stored in an area well away from a populated area?” he asked. “It just doesn’t seem sensible to have it right in the middle of such a densely populated area when it is giving off such bad odours.”
The Mournes representative suggested that the council should also write to Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins. This was later proposed as an amendment to the motion by Jill Truesdale – who said that Ms Kimmins has “powers to give directions to Trust Ports” – and accepted by Cllr Ruane.
Declan McAteer (SDLP, Crotlieve) said that a port should be “based on import and export” rather than “long-term storage”, especially of waste. He asked that, as part of the motion, the council seek to convene a special meeting similar to one held in April 2024 – this was attended by representatives of WHA, Re-Gen, NIEA and the local authority’s Environmental Health Department – and this was, again, accepted by Cllr Ruane.
Gareth Sharvin (SDLP, Downpatrick) stressed that the odour is “not only a Re-Gen issue” and pointed out that the storage of treated telegraph poles had impacted on Wake The Giant.
Callum Bowsie (DUP, Rowallane) acknowledged the duration of the odour issue, before asking what “broke the camel’s back” to cause Sinn Féin to resign from the WHA board.
Jim Brennan (Sinn Féin, Slieve Croob), who tendered his resignation on Friday, responded: “I cannot see a credible plan to resolve the issue, and that is why I resigned.”
David Taylor (UUP, Slieve Gullion) urged WHA and all responsible statutory agencies to “get to the bottom of the issue once and for all and deal with it”. “Warrenpoint is a key area in our district, in terms of tourism, so we should be making sure that it is addressed in every way possible,” he said.
Drawing the discussion to a close, Cllr Ruane stated that “there is an urgency for this to be dealt with”. “We call on Re-Gen, we call on WHA, we call on the NIEA to take this matter seriously, because to date they have not done that,” he concluded. “They need to start taking it seriously, they need to deal with it, and they need to stop it. People are fed up with it, and they are angry over it.”
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