Tipperary Co-op and Arrow Group were among the most visited sites by the state’s environmental watchdog in 2020.
Complaints about local licensed facilities almost doubled last year. The EPA carried out just under 1,100 inspections, of which 200 were remote compliance assessments.
13% of all inspections in 2020 investigated odour complaints from the public, and 14% of all inspections were to sites on the National Priority Site list.
- Top five most visited sites in 2020 were: Tipperary Co-op (19); Arrow Group (20); Merck Millipore Ltd (21); Green Circular Economy Unlimited Company (24); and Limerick Gasworks (30);
- The EPA received more than 100 complaints in relation to Arrow Group, Gas Networks Ireland, Tipperary Co-op and Merck Millipore Ltd;
- Complaints to the EPA about licensed sites increased by 92% and peaked in April when 187 complaints were received.
12 sites were identified as National Priority Sites in 2020, an increase from 11 sites in 2019.
Five of the 2019 sites were again designated as National Priority Sites in 2020, including Arrow Group and Tipperary Co-op .
Arrow Group and Arran Chemical Company of ‘serious concern’
Commenting on the publication of the latest National Priority Sites list, Darragh Page, EPA programme manager, said:
“Sites with significant non-compliances with their licence conditions and regular incidents and complaints are placed on the National Priority Sites List.
The continued poor compliance status and presence of Arrow Group and Arran Chemical Company Ltd on the National Priority Sites list is of serious concern to the EPA.
“They are both the subject of ongoing enforcement action to resolve the environmental issues and to bring them into compliance.”