City Bin Co in hot water with EPA over discharge into river

From the Galway City Tribune – An award-winning waste management company has been reprimanded for environmental issues at its County Galway site.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed City Bin Co Ltd in Oranmore among 13 sites across the country that were designated as ‘National Priority Sites’ in 2022.

These 13 sites were the subject of “targeted enforcement” by the EPA last year.

A spokesperson for the EPA confirmed to the Galway City Tribune that City Bin Co had improved its compliance since the enforcement.

“The main compliance issues on site (at Oranmore) relate to an environmentally significant discharge of wash-water/process effluent to the Carrowmoneash River; failure to provide adequate measures for the control of odours and dust emissions from the facility; the non-notification of incidents; and poor waste acceptance and handling practices.

“The licensee has improved on-site practices and compliance has improved,” she said.

The City Bin Co was one of five waste facilities in the 13 companies on the National Priority Sites list last year.

Six others were in the food and drink sector. City Bin was the only Galway company on the list.

The enforcement activity at City Bin was contained in the EPA’s annual Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Report issued last week.

Dr Tom Ryan, Director of EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said enforcement was risk-based and targeted at sites not complying with their licence requirements.

This article first appeared in the print edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism by subscribing to the Galway City Tribune HERE. A one-year digital subscription costs just €89.00. The print edition is in shops every Friday.

“Last year, we carried out over 1,400 inspections of industrial and waste licensed activities and a further 58 inspections of unauthorised activities which require a licence. 87% of these inspections are unannounced,” he said.

He said the 13 National Priority Sites subjected to “targeted enforcement action”, represented just 1.5% of the total sites licensed by the EPA.

“Our aim is to ensure that all sites, across all sectors, resolve their environmental issues, return to compliance and operate without giving cause for complaints from their neighbours,” Dr Ryan added.