Rubbish dump smell complaints rise tenfold

Complaints about smells from rubbish dumps grew tenfold since 2004, environmental experts warned today.

Last year there more than 1,500 issues raised over the stench from landfills, with the Corranure tip run by Cavan County Council by far the worst.

With 613 complaints it scored almost twice as many as the next worst - Greenstar’s Knockharley site in Meath, which slightly improved its record on odours, and the Kerdiffstown facility near Naas, Co Kildare run by Neiphin Trading.

The report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said bad smells were the single biggest cause for complaint accounting for 71% of the total.

The EPA also found Ireland’s 30 rubbish landfills would be full by 2020, Sixty-five have been filled or shut down since 1995.

It also found the amount of waste going to tips needed to be slashed by 750,000 tonnes over the next six years in order to meet European targets.

The EPA report warned additional infrastructure was needed to treat biodegradable waste and more markets were needed for the compost it will create.