By Donal McMahon

Copyright belfastlive

A Co Down environment group has cast doubt on a Warrenpoint port’s latest stink solution with demands for a recycling firm’s “permanent removal”. Warrenpoint Harbour Authority released a statement Monday on an agreement with Newry recycling company Re-Gen to no longer store its waste bales at the seaside town, but ship directly on to boats. It has been claimed that tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel from Re-Gen awaiting shipment for incineration had caused a stench in the area with public reports from 2023. READ MORE: Newry City’s £20m public park enters significant stage. READ MORE: Co Down councillor storing Class C drug in garage so they aren’t “danger” to local kids. Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment (RARE) founder Colum Sands spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) saying: “This morning’s statement from Warrenpoint Harbour Authority is unlikely to ease concerns for any of the thousands of people who have signed petitions for the permanent removal of Re-Gen Waste operations in Warrenpoint Port. “There is nothing new in the occasional hasty clear out of the port ahead of NI Environment Agency inspections so this news is unlikely to trigger dancing in the streets of Warrenpoint or Omeath.” In August, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn MP was lobbied by RARE and offered his “great sympathy with those impacted by the bad smell”. But he added that it was a devolved matter for Stormont to sort out. Mr Sands added:”Whereas we welcome WHA’s move to request urgent meetings with the NIEA and with Minister Andrew Muir to discuss their concerns, we would recommend that WHA also requests an urgent meeting with Department for Infrastructure and Minister Liz Kimmins regarding WHA’s responsibilities as landlord of their tenant Re-Gen’s operations in Warrenpoint Port. “Re-Gen must move all mishandled waste operations and storage from the Port. Two years of investigation and extensive documentation including video footage, multiple witness statements and thousands of community signatures for the permanent removal of Re-Gen from Warrenpoint Port should have made that clear to all except those who do not wish to hear.” Releasing a statement Warrenpoint Harbour Authority said:”Warrenpoint Harbour Authority shares the frustration of the local community relating to the intermittent Refuse Derived Fuel 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. “Only Solid Recovered Fuel is now being stored on site which we have been informed should be non-odorous.” WHA 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. “While the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) are responsible for reviewing and approving ReGen’s licence at the Port, WHA are taking every step possible to ensure our concerns are addressed. “We have also requested urgent meetings with the NIEA and with Minister Andrew Muir to discuss those concerns.” The LDRS contacted Re-Gen with a spokesperson stating: “We have nothing further to add at this time.” Earlier this year, Re-Gen won a contract to process thousands of tonnes of waste from English councils. Cambridgeshire City Council signed off on a deal with the Newry recycling firm in a contract that includes the City Council and District Council under the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service. The contract could potentially lead to a further multi-council deal involving the recycling of around 80,000 tonnes of ‘dry mixed recycling’. Re-Gen had pledged to open a new sorting facility in Britain by April, which would negate the need to transport Cambridge waste to Northern Ireland, but that has not yet happened. Crotlieve councillors recently demanded Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir attend the chamber over claims he had “washed his hands” of the Warrenpoint stench. In recent letters to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council the DfI stated, it has “no regulatory remit to the work being carried out by Re-Gen at their site at Warrenpoint Port”. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs also responded to the council, saying it found “no significant issues in respect of waste management activities at the harbour”. The department further alluded to the council having approved planning for Re-Gen’s facility in Warrenpoint Harbour in May 2013. In early July it was reported that Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors on the WHA board had quit over concerns about foul odours. Independent councillor Jarlath Tinnely remained on the board as a non-executive member, saying at the time “that efforts to combat the foul odours were most effective when working within the harbour authority”. Speaking to the LDRS, Councillor Tinnelly said:”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. “Prior to my appointment, locals lamented the absence of local councillors on the board and yet when appointed I quickly became the lightning rod for their vocal opposition to Re-Gen. “Despite the abuse and relentless criticism I stuck to the task and I believe my position has now been vindicated. We have gone from 20,000 tonne of RDF storage to zero in just over a year and my job now as part of the board is to ensure this continues.” For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here