A Waterford farmer has been convicted and fined a total of €4,450 for burning farm plastics, and other wastes in his farmyard.
The farmer was prosecuted by Waterford City and County Council for the illegal disposal of waste by burning on Monday, September 2 at Lismore District Court.
The farmer pleaded guilty to the case heard at Lismore District Court, sitting in Dungarvan, of an offence under Section 32 of the Waste Management Act 1996 of managing waste in a manner likely to cause environmental pollution.
The farmer was caught burning farm plastics, household and other wastes in his farmyard in March 2023.
Paul Flynn, environmental inspector, giving evidence for Waterford City and County Council outlined that there were “mechanisms open to farmers to dispose of their farmyard plastic in an environmentally-friendly manner, so they don’t have to burn it.”
Judge Power hearing the case said: “This is a very serious issue in the times we live in with global warming, and this will only add to the problem.”
The farmer was fined €500 plus costs, including outstanding fire service charges of €3,950.
It is illegal to burn farmyard waste. There was an exemption which allowed farmers to burn agricultural green waste, such as untreated wood, bushes or leaves.
However, this exemption ended in November 2023, therefore a ban on burning agricultural green waste is now in effect.
Farmers can bring farm plastics to a bring-centre to be recycled including material such as:
- Silage wrap
- Fertiliser bags
- Animal feed bags
- Chemical drums (these must be triple rinsed)
- Bailing twine
Organic material can be composted at home or on the farm. You can get rid of wood at a civic amenity site.
Most areas have an organised household waste collection service. If you decide not to use an organised waste collection service, you can dispose of most of your domestic waste by recycling and home composting. You can also use civic amenity centres or landfill sites.