A Co Down councillor has raised concerns over bad smells after a local recycling firm won a contract to process thousands of tonnes of waste from English councils.
Cambridgeshire City Council has signed off on a deal with Newry recycling firm Re-Gen in a contract that includes the City Council and District Council under the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service (GCSWS).
The contract could potentially lead to a further multi-council deal involving the recycling of around 80,000 tonnes of ‘dry mixed recycling’.
However some concerns have emerged that Re-Gen shipping non-recyclable waste from Warrenpoint Harbour could add to perceived odour issues in the south Down town.
While the bulk of waste the firm receives is recycling at its Newry plant, anything that cannot be processed there is often shipped overseas via Warrenpoint. Complaints about smells said to emanate from the harbour have been raised previously, prompting it to take action.
In a report published by the harbour in February of last year, they said they would “implement the recommendations of a new Environmental Audit Report, conducted by Practical Waste Solutions, in full”.
The Warrenpoint Harbour Authority (WHA) listed a series of measures on its website, including “fortnightly independent monitoring”.
It also says “the length of time Re-Gen’s bales can be held at WHA will be reduced from the statutory three months to a target of six weeks”, bale height reduced, and the appointment of a new Environmental Officer.
Speaking at the time, WHA chairman Dr Gerard O’Hare said: “On behalf of the Board I would, once again, like to apologise for the odour and fly issue that arose last year and I want to assure the whole community that we will be implementing the recommendations of the Environmental Audit Report, in full, to help prevent any future recurrence.
“While measures that have been put in place have helped, we recognise that there is much more that we need to do.
“That is why we have engaged with Re-Gen to ensure that all the recommendations, which exceed the statutory requirements set out by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, are implemented in full.”
But reacting to the news this week, Crotlieve independent councillor Mark Gibbons, who has campaigned against the stench, said he is “totally against this move by Re-Gen”.
He added: “Why on Earth would they contemplate adding to the problem at Warrenpoint Harbour with residents fed up with the stench?
“The odour issues at Warrenpoint Harbour have been an absolute PR disaster for Re-Gen.”
However, the firm has said that a “multi-agency review” carried out last August “found no issues with odour nor identified any other concerns”.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) held a special meeting in 2024, when reports on the Warrenpoint stink were reviewed.
It was then claimed by Mr Gibbons that bales of waste from Re-Gen, which were being transported out of Warrenpoint Harbour to Scandinavia, were the source of the bad odour.
Dr O’Hare said the authority had “held its hands up” over the odour and that councillors who sat on the board of the harbour would be provided with regular updates of its practices going forward.
Speaking this week, Mr Gibbons added: “The local people of Warrenpoint have not been consulted on this as they should have been, as it is the people who have to put up with the stench.
“I want to know, when were those on Warrenpoint Harbour Authority going to inform residents? The fact that they haven’t already tells you all you need to know in my opinion.”
The WHA was contacted for comment.
In July 2024, Peterborough City Council (PCC) entered a contract with Re-Gen with a potential value of £9m over seven years.
According to a PCC report, Peterborough is part of the ‘RECAP’ Waste Partnership made up of several English councils that “determines the lowest price to appoint suppliers to undertake dry mixed recycling”.
The RECAP collective states it requires 82,000 tonnes of dry mixed recycling to be managed. Re-Gen was asked if it could list all UK councils where it provides recycling services, but the company declined, citing “commercial sensitivity”.
Last week, RECAP member Cambridgeshire City Council chamber heard from Labour councillor Rosy Moore that 400 tonnes of the English council’s waste would now be recycled in Newry every month beginning in March.
Green Party councillor Elliot Tong said: “There is a shocking lack of consideration of the environmental impacts, particularly when it comes to carbon footprint, there is really nothing we can see from it.”
An amendment asking for the contract to be deferred did not gain enough support to pass on January 16. Re-Gen, which currently employs 350 people in Newry, said it is now projected to “invest a further £100m including a new site in Great Britain”.
A spokesperson said: “The recycling material that will come from the Greater Cambridge contract when it commences on 2nd March 2025 is recyclable waste, which is currently recycled at our Newry plant to feed the circular economy. It is not black bin waste, so only the much lesser non-recyclable part will pass through our Warrenpoint facility.
“We have been operating from Warrenpoint Harbour Authority for over 10 years. Warrenpoint Harbour is a critical cog in the maintenance and development of a sustainable waste system for Northern Ireland.
“At all times we adhere to the highest standard of operational excellence at Warrenpoint Harbour. In August 2024, a multi-agency review was conducted including the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, they visited our facility and found no issues with odour nor identified any other concerns.”
The company has also addressed the carbon footprint concerns raised in Cambridgeshire.
A spokesperson added: “Re-Gen operates their own haulage fleet which travels daily from Newry, Northern Ireland, taking recycled materials and products to England.
“They will transport the Cambridge mixed dry recycling as back loads, ensuring our HGVs do not return to Newry empty and minimising carbon impact. In addition, we are currently undertaking a trial, where a number of our HGVs are part of a Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) trial which will allow us to part use going forward, thus creating future carbon emission reductions.
“Crucially, from April 2025 we will have a GB operational MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) which will process the recyclables from Greater Cambridge and negate the need to transport the material to Northern Ireland.”