Increased waste burning complaints in Mayo last year
MAYO County Council received 1,500 environmental complaints in 2020.
A report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on local authority environmental enforcement activities for 2020 shows a high level of inspections and enforcement actions carried out by local authorities, with the bulk relating to waste and litter.
Mayo County Council reported an increase in waste burning complaints during the year, possibly due to people being restricted at home and illegally disposing of waste, which resulted in increased enforcement actions initiated.
The council carried out 240 air and noise inspections, with 144 enforcement actions initiated.
Details of water inspections in the EPA report reveal the local authority carried out 1,400 water inspections in Mayo in 2020. A total of 23 enforcements followed.
Some 2,250 waste inspections were conducted in the county, with 350 enforcements. There were eight prosecutions. These figures do not include litter.
Nationally, local authorities managed over 85,000 environmental complaints in 2020, reflecting a 10% increase on the previous year. Over 90% of environmental complaints received related to litter and waste.
Waste enforcement activities largely remained resilient in 2020. However, the EPA has found nationally that progress on water and air enforcement priorities lagged behind waste enforcement, primarily due to having less resources assigned to them and a lack of enforcement coordination services across local authorities.
The report said it is 'concerning' to see the reduced enforcement activity in water, air and noise, given the decline in our water quality and the impact of poor air quality and noise on the environment and human health. Local authorities must address these challenges as a matter of priority in their enforcement activities.
Noel Byrne, programme manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement, said: “National water monitoring data is showing a continuing decline in water quality and more needs to be done to protect our water environment. Local authorities need to make sure that they are targeting inspections of farms and septic tanks in the areas of greatest risk and are taking effective enforcement action where non-compliances are found.”
In addition, the burning of non-complaint solid fuels remains a key issue impacting on air quality and human health. Local authorities should engage in coordinated and targeted inspections of solid fuel supplies and take follow-up enforcement actions to ensure that the environment and health are protected.