Black bin waste plea ahead of Warrenpoint festival season
Warrenpoint environmental campaigners, Rotten to the Point, have called for Re-Gen Waste and Warrenpoint Harbour Authority to remove all black bin waste at the town’s port over the forthcoming festival period.
It is the latest intervention in the ongoing saga which has seen residents complain for months about the smell which has wafted through the town.
In the coming weeks the seaside town is expecting to see an influx of visitors with a number of important dates and events coming up.
These include St Patrick's Day, International Blues on the Bays Festival (May 21-27), Wake the Giant (June 28-29), Fiddler's Green (July 16-20), the Ulster Fleadh (July 20-27) and the Loughside Festival (expected to take place on August 8-16 but to be confirmed).
A number of cruise ships will also sail into the port, including Le Boreal (May 2025), Azamara Quest (July 2025), Island Sky (August 2025), Azamara Journey (August 2025) and Le Bellot (August / September 2025).
In a statement a spokesperson for Rotten to the Point said: “2025 will see more Festivals, events, and cruise ships coming to our town of Warrenpoint and Carlingford Lough more than ever before and a welcome break for its townspeople and visitors to enjoy the warmer weather as well as the warm welcome from the Warrenpoint community to visitors that will come.
“Warrenpoint has always been a town and Lough that is well renowned for its great hospitality and for welcoming visitors from all over the world and [residents] want to continue this and grow but with stinking black waste at the Warrenpoint Harbour Authority it will be a lot harder for many to highlight our area while we have this in the town.
"The community wants all this stinking black bin waste to be cleared totally away when all these events and festivals take place... so that we can showcase our town with pride and have no stinking black bin waste that will affect the hard work of many people who put these festivals & events on, as well as the townspeople, visitors and all the businesses that need events like this.
"We have asked all bodies involved and politicians to ask Re-Gen Waste and Warrenpoint Harbour Authority to have no black bin waste at Warrenpoint Port while all events and festivals take place.”
The statement adds that the community isn’t hiding away from the fact that “it wants this black bin waste gone from Warrenpoint Harbour Authority, not just for these Spring / Summer events but forever and will never stop with this goal until this is done for the community and to support our area.
"For now, surely Re-Gen Waste and Warrenpoint Harbour Authority can give the people of the town and Carlingford Lough a break from this stinking black bin waste for each of the many events and festivals [coming up] in our town.”
Rotten to the Point say that they have seen “a sharp rise in January and now February of reported complaints” of a smell from the black bin waste, adding they “fear for what is to come... this needs to be addressed before people are put off by coming here by a stinking black bin waste smell that the people of Warrenpoint/Carlingford Lough did not want or bring here.
The group has urged people who wishes to complain to use the online complaints form at www.cognitoforms.com/RottenToThePoint/ComplaintsFormForWasteblackBinSmellFliesAndNoiseIssuesAtWarrenpointHarbourAuthority
We asked Re-Gen to respond to the points made by Rotten To The Point. A spokesperson said: “We have been operating from Warrenpoint Harbour Authority for over ten years and our facility in Warrenpoint Harbour is and will be a critical cog in the maintenance and development of a sustainable waste system for Northern Ireland. As such, we are committed to being good neighbours to the local community and respect the cultural heritage of this vibrant town that attracts visitors from all over the world.
“We are in full compliance with all recommendations for storing and transporting RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) and are consistently adhering to the highest standards of operational excellence and safety at Warrenpoint. In February 2024 Warrenpoint Harbour Authority published an independent report regarding the Re-Gen operation at Warrenpoint. Re-Gen went above and beyond to implement all the recommendations outlined. In addition, we have achieved 9 positive NIEA (Northern Ireland Environment Agency) inspections since June 2024.
“In August 2024 DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) conducted a multi-agency review which included the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. The visit to the Re-Gen facility concluded that there were no issues with odour and noise in the vicinity of Warrenpoint Harbour. We will continue to monitor the situation as we progress through 2025 and beyond.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Warrenpoint Harbour Authority stated: “Warrenpoint Harbour Authority closely monitors all operations on our site. We are fully committed to being good neighbours and supporting the growth of the local and wider economy.”