Warrenpoint: Residents have 'had enough' of port stenches

BBC News

17-07-2025

People living in a County Down beauty spot have "had enough" of industrial stenches coming from Warrenpoint Port, campaigners have said. Liz Weir said she was sometimes driven out of her home by the smell of compacted rubbish from a waste management firm at the harbour. Re-Gen has been working in Warrenpoint for more than 12 years and told BBC News NI its facility was "regularly inspected by independent and statutory bodies".But Ms Weir said: "You get sometimes a big waft of air… it would make you gag."
BBC News NI first reported the issue in 2023, and at that time Re-Gen said it was taking steps to reduce odours from stockpiled waste bales.But nearly two years on, campaigners insist not enough is being done to address concerns about the thousands of tonnes of waste stored at the port. Ms Weir has attended every public meeting and protest about the issue since she first noticed the smell.She said there were occasions when her family could not use their garden or even open their windows. "My husband is not a well man and the fact that he has to get into the car and go somewhere to get fresh air is just not right," she said.
What is causing the stink?
Much of the smell in recent years has been blamed on the storage of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at Re-Gen's Warrenpoint facility. The firm processes black bin rubbish from a number of Northern Ireland councils, much of which cannot be recycled. The unrecyclable waste is packed into bales and driven to Warrenpoint to be shipped to places like Scandinavia.There, customers burn the waste to produce electricity.
Resignations over port pong
Earlier this month, two councillors quit the board of Warrenpoint Harbour Authority (WHA) in protest over the failure to resolve the odour problem. When Sinn Féin's Jim Brennan resigned, his party insisted it would not re-engage with the board "until there is a complete and permanent end to all RDF activities" at the port.The Social Democratic and Labour Party then pulled out councillor Laura Devlin, saying there was "strength in the message of leaving the board together".Independent councillor Jarlath Tinnelly is the last politician on the board.
Mr Tinnelly questioned what quitting achieved.He said he was staying on to represent the public from within WHA's boardroom. "We have made incredible strides over the past 12 months," he said. "So much so that in this calendar year of 2025, the average weekly stock of RDF being stored on site is less than 50% of actually what is permitted."The councillor added he was "not in denial" over the smell but it had "diminished greatly over the past number of months".
Smelly telegraph poles
He pointed to a separate issue when "an exceptionally large" consignment of telegraph poles were imported during last month's Wake the Giant festival.Members of the public lodged at least 25 formal complaints about a pungent smell, described as a mix of creosote and outdoor cleaning fluid.Mr Tinnelly believes the incident reignited concerns over Re-Gen's unconnected waste operation. WHA chairman Gerard O'Hare issued a statement apologising "for the odour that came from a cargo of telegraph poles" and pledged they would not be imported through the port again.Mr O'Hare declined a BBC interview request about Re-Gen's facility but said WHA is meeting the firm "to discuss odour concerns and to agree a solution".
'It's like putting aftershave on a dirty nappy'
Colum Sands, from the campaign group Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment (RARE), said the telegraph poles incident must not distract from the ongoing Re-Gen dispute. "We're in a town of breathtaking beauty and the breath of the town is being taken away by a stench," he said.Mr Sands insisted it was "a long-term smell" which would "continue to be there so long as black bin waste comes into Warrenpoint Port". He also questioned Re-Gen's practice of spraying the bales with odour treatment."As someone said to me the other day - it's like putting aftershave on a dirty nappy, rather than changing the nappy," he said.The campaigner called the resignations a "positive" development."Sheer pressure and, I'd imagine, vote counting forced a number of politicians to make a move and of course it's very welcome," he said.
Inspectors identified problems at Re-Gen
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) conducts regular inspections to ensure Re-Gen complies with its waste licence.Its spokesman said monthly off-site odour assessments conducted between January and July 2025 "did not detect any odours attributable to the licenced waste facility".However, NIEA said some previous inspections identified "minor non-compliances".These included "storage outside the licence boundary, control of pests, exceedance of the three-month storage limit and control of odour" in 2023.Inspectors also recorded "further non-compliance" on odour control in June 2024.But NIEA added that Re-Gen "implemented measures to address these issues and bring themselves back into compliance". Re-Gen insists it is "fully compliant with all industry regulations". "Since June 2024, NIEA has carried out 13 inspections, all resulting in full compliance, including the most recent on 8 July 2025," the company said.
Ms Weir is aware inspectors carry out "sniff tests" near the port.But she explained the problem, and her family's plans, are determined by wind direction."If you're out here and there is a south-westerly wind - which is the prevailing wind in this area - we get the smell," she said.