Waste intended for incineration piped into harbour

WASTE from a pharmaceutical plant, which was intended for incineration, was instead discharged into Cork harbour. The blunder went undetected for over eight months.

The waste came from one of GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) production facilities in Ringaskiddy.

The pharmaceutical giant admitted yesterday to a major waste management blunder. For eight months, waste due for incineration was actually piped to a treatment plant that discharged into the harbour.