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Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 1
IRELAND IN THEPANDEMIC:ENVIRONMENTALOBSERVATIONS
CoronavirusCOVID-19
ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING PROGRAMMELICENSING PLAN FOR 2017
44%
17%
10%
Industrial Emissions/Industrial Pollution Control
Waste
Change Project
Waste Water Discharge
GMO
Other Work
LicensingInspectorResource
OEE Priority Sites
Greenfield &Significant
Investments
Revenue
EnvironmentalOutcome
Age ofApplication
StatutoryDeadline/
InfringementRisk
PolicyDrivers
Client andThird Party
Demand
ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING
PROGRAMME
LICENSING PLAN FOR 2016
6%
4%
19%
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 01
INTRODUCTIONAs a result of the Covid-19 pandemic response in Ireland, as elsewhere, there was less traffic on the roads, industrial activities were wholly or partially shut down, offices emptied, most aircraft were grounded, and many people were restricted to their homes and local area. Naturally, this has led to lower emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, lower generation of waste in some sectors and an overall reduced impact on the environment.
During this time the essential work of the EPA continued so as to ensure that the protection of human health and the environment was not diminished as a result of the lockdown.
While there are positives associated with a lower societal impact on the environment, the EPA recognises that the current situation is not normal economic activity. However, as the country exits the lockdown, there is an opportunity to decouple environmental harm from economic growth for a sustainable future. Long-term improvements beyond the end of the crisis can only be achieved by means of a targeted climate and environment policy.
This briefing note discusses EPA observations and activities across the following thematic areas:
Air quality improved in urban areas with a significant decrease of pollution from traffic, but there was no change in pollution from burning solid fuels in the home. There was no observable impact on the quality of our rivers, lakes, groundwaters or coastal waters. River flows and lake levels have been lower than normal, from the unseasonal warm weather, which had an impact on drinking water supplies.
AirQuality
Waste Pollutants & Greenhouse
Gas Emissions
WaterEnvironment
Enforcement& Compliance
EnvironmentalQueries
ISBN: 978-1-84095-927-7 Date of Publication: July/2020/web
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 02
There was a sharp rise in household waste and a decrease in commercial and retail waste. With the increase in domestic waste, there was evidence of an increase in illegal dumping and enquiries to the EPA website increased fourfold in relation to illegal backyard burning.
Although all the data is not yet available, there is an expected decrease in pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from the transport and energy sectors, but agricultural emissions were largely unaffected. Lower fuel prices may have an impact on efforts to decouple industrial emissions from economic growth.
Throughout the lockdown the EPA continued its risk-based approach in inspecting and checking licensed facilities. The EPA continued to engage with Irish Water in relation to the safe provision of drinking water and the treatment of wastewater. An innovative approach was undertaken in virtual inspections to enable effective oversight. These remote compliance assessments were carried out in addition to physical inspections dealing with complaints, incidents and emergencies.
There was a large increase in environmental complaints recorded during the lockdown. The EPA worked with local authorities and others to make sure that complaints were addressed. In addition, the EPA investigated complaints received from the public about licensed facilities.
With the easing of restrictions and the return to ‘normal’ economic activity, the EPA will continue to advocate for the environment and promote the link between health and wellbeing, the economy and a clean environment, including:
> sustainable transport choices to protect the air quality on our streets;
> measures and policies to transform how we heat our homes which should result in the reduction of harmful emissions;
> protection and improvement of our aquatic environments;
> adequate drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure;
> waste prevention and a move to a circular economy and
> measures to reduce pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from the transport, energy and agricultural sectors and to decouple emissions from economic growth.
The EPA will continue to regulate activities to meet environmental and radiation protection standards in a fair and transparent manner and to target those who do not comply.
Decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from
transport and energy.
Agricultural emissions largely
unaffected.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 03
01 AIR QUALITYKey Observations
> Significant decrease of pollution from traffic in urban areas > No significant decrease in pollution from burning solid fuels in the home > Opportunity to build on benefits observed in transport choices in urban areas > New measures and policies needed to reduce harmful emissions from
residential solid fuel burning
The European Environment Agency has identified air pollution as the single largest environmental health hazard in Europe, accounting for over 1,180 premature deaths each year in Ireland. The principal causes of poor air quality in Ireland are emissions of fine particulates from burning solid fuels in the home and emissions of nitrogen dioxide from fossil-fuelled vehicles.
Maintaining access to live air quality data
During lockdown, the EPA maintained continuous monitoring of key air pollutants at 80 monitoring stations across the country and published the data on its website (www.epa.ie/air/quality/) together with notes on monthly assessments. The assessments show that during lockdown there was a decrease of up to 50% in nitrogen dioxide levels at monitoring stations adjacent to normally heavy urban traffic. However, levels of fine particulates did not show a similar decrease. Levels of this, more harmful, air pollutant generally remained typical for the time of year.
Since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, there has been an emerging trend of increasing air pollution at many of our monitoring stations, though concentrations of nitrogen dioxide are currently still below levels typical for this time of year.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 04
Best choicefor air quality
and health
Worst choicefor air quality
and health
Burning waste in an open fire
Burning very smoky solid fuel in an open fire
Burning less smoky solid fuel in an open fire
Burning very smoky solid fuel in a stove
Burning less smoky solid fuel in a stove
Burning less smoky solid fuel in an eco stove
Kerosene oil boiler
Gasboiler Electrified heating supplied by power station
Solar, wind and heat pump technology
ILLEGAL
Heating your home and its impact on air quality and health
PeatBriquettes
Green/WetWood
Dry/SeasonedWood
BituminousCoal
‘Low Smoke’Coal
Best choicefor air quality
and health
Worst choicefor air quality
and health
Burning waste in an open fire
Burning very smoky solid fuel in an open fire
Burning less smoky solid fuel in an open fire
Burning very smoky solid fuel in a stove
Burning less smoky solid fuel in a stove
Burning less smoky solid fuel in an eco stove
Kerosene oil boiler
Gasboiler Electrified heating supplied by power station
Solar, wind and heat pump technology
ILLEGAL
Heating your home and its impact on air quality and health
PeatBriquettes
Green/WetWood
Dry/SeasonedWood
BituminousCoal
‘Low Smoke’Coal
Very Smoky < Less Smoky
Very Smoky < Less Smoky
It is hoped that some of the
improvements made during
Covid-19 will be retained.
Demonstrating the links between traffic levels and air pollution
The improvements in air quality observed in our urban areas clearly demonstrate the impact that traffic levels have on the quality of the air we breathe. The improvements in air quality were rapid and significant as commuting levels dropped dramatically and more people switched to cycling and walking.
Sustainable future
While it is anticipated that traffic will return to ‘normal’ levels as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, it is hoped that proposed changes in cities and towns to increase the space allocated to cyclists and pedestrians may help to retain some of the improvement. In addition, and adhering to safety protocols, a switch to more public transport may also help transform the air quality on our streets.
New measures and policies are needed to reduce harmful emissions from residential solid fuel burning, especially in towns and cities, to improve the local air quality and reduce the consequential impact on people’s health. The EPA has developed an infographic (Figure 1) on the spectrum of heating and fuel choices to assist the public in their heating choice that would be better for air quality and health.
Figure 1: EPA infographic on home heating choices and impact on air quality
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 05
02 WASTEKey Observations
> Evidence of increase in illegal dumping and backyard burning > Sharp rise in household waste but drop in commercial and retail waste > Adequate capacity available to handle medical waste
Bin collections
Waste management services were designated as an essential service and bin collections continued to operate during the lockdown. Waste treatment facilities also continued to operate largely as normal, with the exception of a small number of outlets being unavailable. The pandemic has prompted increased public and national recognition of the importance of waste collection and waste management as essential services.
Illegal dumping and backyard burning
There is evidence of a rise in illegal dumping and backyard burning during the lockdown. Illegal dumping is a significant source of environmental pollution in Ireland and a scourge on local communities. There was a fourfold increase in enquiries to the EPA website on illegal backyard burning. The increase is likely attributable to the larger volumes of waste generated by households during lockdown, including from home improvement works. The Government announced on 22nd April1 that €1m of funds from the Anti-Dumping Initiative will be ring-fenced to allow local authorities to respond quickly and decisively to incidents of illegal dumping. Waste removal and the installation of CCTV or other monitoring and surveillance equipment will be among the activities supported. Illegal dumping is a criminal offence in Ireland, punishable by fines and / or imprisonment. Similarly, backyard burning of waste is illegal and subject to prosecution.
1 www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/news-and-media/press-releases/Pages/Funding-Ring-Fenced-to-tackle-Illegal-Dumping-During- Covid-19.aspx.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 06
Domestic waste
Irish grocery sales rose by 25% during the 12 weeks to 17 May2, the fastest rate of growth recorded in the past fifteen years. Waste collectors and operators have reported a significant increase in the quantity of household waste, including food waste, being produced. Surveys of waste operators carried out by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices have found that household waste increased by 21% on average during the lockdown. Of this:
> brown bin waste was up by a very significant 26%;
> residual waste was up by 19% and
> recycling waste was up by 8%.
In early April, one waste company reported “a record 38% increase” in brown bin waste when people began working from home; the presence of large quantities of unopened food in brown bins was linked with panic buying in the early stage of the lockdown3, while waste collectors have also reported a rise in garden waste. Waste recovery at compost and bio-stabilisation facilities increased by 25% during the period reflecting the increase in brown bin waste arising.
Commercial waste
The closure of non-essential retail and commercial activities has had a significant impact on commercial waste generation with volumes down by 50% during the period. The decrease in commercial waste treated at facilities was offset by the increase in household waste during the period. The suspension of construction activity resulted in a 70% reduction in construction and demolition waste4. Skip hire, by contrast, increased significantly and civic amenity facilities also saw an initial surge in activity with people involved in clear-outs and clean-ups.
There has been adequate treatment capacity available within Ireland to treat the healthcare waste generated during the pandemic.
The EPA is carrying out compliance assessments/inspections of licensed waste facilities remotely, with 26 carried out to date. The focus has mainly been on routine enforcement issues such as odour complaints.
Food waste
One of the impacts of the pandemic is that many of us are shopping less frequently and trying to keep food fresh for longer. In a short poll on Instagram the EPA asked people “Do you think that you are wasting more or less food amid the current crisis?” Of the 246 respondents, 11% said more, and 89% of people said less. The EPA has produced a handy guide5 to prevent food waste.
2 www.kantarworldpanel.com/ie/Press-Releases/Grocery-sales-soar-as-shoppers-adapt-to-life-at-home3 www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/bin-collectors-link-household-waste-surge-to-coronavirus-panic-buying-1.4223318 4 Data based on surveys of waste operators carried out by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices.5 https://stopfoodwaste.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SFW-Pocket-Guide-1.pdf
Household waste was up. Commercial,
construction and food waste was
down.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 07
03POLLUTANT ANDGREENHOUSE GAS (GHG)EMISSIONSKey Observations
> Significant drop expected from transport related emissions > Decrease in electricity and gas demand translates to lower GHG emissions > Agriculture emissions unaffected by Covid-19 lockdown > Low fuel prices may impact implementation of policies on greenhouse gas reduction
Air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions
The drop in economic activity and travel is expected to translate into reductions in both air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions. It is currently not possible to indicate accurately the extent of these emissions reductions - as the data required is generally only available on an annual basis. However, where data is available monthly the EPA can estimate, from some of the underlying drivers of emissions, the extent of the likely impact in the short and medium term.
Monthly data is available for electricity and gas demand as well as for home heating and transport fuels. The EPA has performed some preliminary analysis of the latest available petrol and diesel fuel delivery data (up to end-April) from the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) and of the data available from the Sustainable Energy Authority for Ireland (SEAI) on electricity and gas demand.
Transport
In relation to transport fuels, April 2020 petrol deliveries were over 70% lower than in April 2019 and diesel deliveries almost 55% lower. For the year to the end of May, petrol deliveries were down over 30% and diesel deliveries down 20%. Translated to greenhouse gas emissions that corresponds to over 1 million-tonnes carbon dioxide (Mt CO2) lower emissions in the first five months of 2020 compared the same period in 2019, with subsequent months also likely to be affected due to continued impact on the economy.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 08
Total transport related greenhouse gas emissions amounted to 12.2 Mt CO2 equivalent in 2018 – the latest Inventory year. SEAI analysis of National Road Authority traffic data indicates that traffic movements were down almost 60% during the lockdown compared to directly beforehand, though indications are that it has now rebounded (July 2020).
Determining the impact on air pollutant emissions, particularly nitrous oxides (NOx) is more complex on a national basis because it is necessary to know the class of vehicle and its emissions per kilometre.
Energy demand
The SEAI analysis of Eirgrid daily electricity demand data showed a reduction in electricity demand nationally of approximately 20% compared to before the lockdown. Using an average grid emissions intensity figure, this could translate to over 0.3 Mt CO2 reduction in greenhouse gas emissions so far, with demand continuing to be at a lower than normal level. It is worth remembering that these estimates are not weather corrected (accounting for the impact of higher or lower temperatures compared to normal) and also do not take account of the actual fuel mix being used for electricity generation. In that context, ESB’s Moneypoint power plant, which burns coal, has been operating at a higher level than it had been for most of the previous year.
In a similar situation to electricity demand, gas demand reduced by around 15% initially at the start of the lockdown and has remained relatively flat since with the prolonged period of good weather. Again, these estimates are not weather corrected, and it is difficult to accurately assess the impact of the lockdown versus the impact of unseasonal warmer weather that reduces fuel demand.
Home heating oil
Deliveries of home heating oil have seen a substantial increase compared to 2019 in March and April (over 80% higher in March). This is due to the very low oil fuel prices which is not subject to excise duty and can be stored for use later in the year. It is very difficult to say anything definitive about what the impact of the lockdown will be on use of home heating oil but there is the risk that if fuel prices remain low for a prolonged period, the amount of fuel burned may increase as a result.
Jet kerosene
Deliveries of jet kerosene were 84% lower in April 2020 compared to April 2019, a reduction clearly driven by the lockdown. The dramatic fall in air travel and the likely extended period before it resumes at a level comparable with the past will likely result in a substantial reduction
Reduction in demand for
electricity and gas but deliveries of
home heating oil increased.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 09
in emissions from this source in 2020. International aviation does not form part of Ireland’s total reported emissions, so we will not see a significant emissions reduction from aviation in the national greenhouse gas Inventory. On a global scale however, the reduction in CO2 introduced into the atmosphere from aviation will be important in 2020.
Agricultural activity
The evidence to date suggests that the lockdown will not impact on agricultural emissions in a measurable way in the short term. While some markets for produce may be curtailed, animals are still being slaughtered and meat placed in cold storage or being sold to alternative markets (e.g. an increase in meat being bought in supermarkets because restaurants and pubs are closed).
There has been no disruption to collection of milk, with social distancing guidelines applying to bulk collection drivers and farmers. Milk processing continues in what is now the peak milk production season. Even if there were to be a disruption to milk collection, the cows still need to be milked every day, and the milk would simply end up being dumped (as observed during the quota era when farmers were over quota).
In the latter half of the year, there may be some impact on farming activity as a result of price reductions (supply of animals exceeding demand) and weather.
International evidence
Some evidence of the impact on energy demand and emissions has emerged already from other countries that entered a lockdown phase earlier than Ireland and, in some cases, are now exiting lockdown. Analysis presented by Aether at the Taskforce for Emissions Inventories and Projections6 in May sought to establish the impact on activity across the main air pollutant emitting sectors in both the short and longer term, based on 20% of 2020 being a period of reduced activity across Europe.
The findings from this analysis corroborated much of the evidence that the EPA is observing already in Ireland, with estimates of a 15% reduction in transport demand, followed by a potential increase in activity in the longer term as is already being seen in China. For the energy generation sector a 5% reduction in demand over 2020 is estimated with evidence also emerging of increased use of renewables in some countries. There is likely to also be some long-term reduction in demand due to the impact of the restrictions on industry and manufacturing sectors, with vehicle production being particularly badly hit.
Aviation activity has seen a dramatic reduction in all countries, at the time of the analysis there had been an 87% reduction in flights across Europe. A significant reduction in airline activity is
6 a group established under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
Agricultural emissions not
significantly impacted by the
Covid-19lockdown.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 10
expected to persist in the medium to long term, with a slow recovery of the surviving airlines expected and increased border restrictions.
Future actions
The EPA will continue to explore indicator data to provide insights into the impact of the pandemic on Ireland’s emissions. We will work with our data providers, and where robust indications of the shutdown can be estimated, we will make this available to stakeholders.
The EPA, in consultation with the ESRI and SEAI, will look at economy-wide emissions projections, to produce a short paper later in the year projecting the impact of the lockdown on emissions for 2020. The next round of projections will also capture the impact on future years as the economic recovery takes hold.
The EPA will advocate for implementing measures to reduce emissions and decouple them from economic growth. However, there are a number of risk factors that pose a threat to this including:
> The persistence of low fuel prices. As well as being likely to result in a swift rebound in emissions as the economic recovery gathers pace, there is a risk that low fuel prices could reduce the appetite for electrification in transport and home heating.
> Competition for major investment. With the severe impact the current restrictions have had on household and National finances, the resources available for “green investment” could be constrained.
> Delays to implementation of greenhouse gas and air pollutant mitigation measures. There has been a call from industry and lobby groups to delay the introduction of new environmental measures, as these are considered by some to be of secondary importance to the recovery of the economy. If economic recovery is pursued at all costs, following a business as usual approach, then there is a risk that not only will emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants return to pre-lockdown levels, but that meeting our obligations under the Paris agreement and the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution will be set back by a number of years.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 11
04 WATER ENVIRONMENTKey Observations
> River flows and lake levels have been lower than normal with impacts on water supplies > Water quality checks have continued throughout the lockdown
The EPA has continued to monitor river flows and lake and groundwater levels at about 350 monitoring sites throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The dry weather between March and June resulted in reduced river flows. The map (Figure 2) shows that 85% of rivers had lower than normal flows in May. Although the last few weeks of June were wetter, flows were still lower than the long-term average for June across 80% of the assessed rivers. Lake and groundwater levels also fell to below normal levels. The EPA reports this data weekly at a Government multi-stakeholder group that is monitoring the impact of drought conditions on drinking water supplies and water quality. At a time when drought and other extreme weather events become more frequent and threaten water supplies, it is ever more important that action is taken to ensure the resilience of supplies.
Throughout the lockdown the EPA has continued to monitor the quality of water in Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal and ground waters. Our monitoring programme includes chemical analysis and ecological sampling to tell us about the quality of the water. Initial results have not shown any immediate changes in water quality.
The EPA is also overseeing the bathing water season and making sure that any incidents that might affect bathing water quality are communicated to the public. In recent weeks heavy rainfall, which can result in sewage overflows and agricultural run-off, has resulted in advice against swimming at a number of beaches as a precautionary measure. Details on the latest sampling results and any restrictions on swimming for your local beach can be found at www.beaches.ie
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 12
The EPA hosted its first virtual water conference in June. Over 1200 people attended from across local authorities, public bodies, academic institutes, environmental groups and members of the public to discuss the pressures on our water environment and the actions needed to protect and restore this essential resource.
Figure 2: River flows May 2020
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 13
05 ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCEKey Observations
> Inspections and checks of licensed facilities continued on a risk-based approach > Took an innovative approach to enforcement activities > Large increase in environmental complaints > Public encouraged to report complaints to assist EPA protect the environment
During this time the essential work of the EPA continued so as to ensure that the protection of human health and the environment was not diminished as a result of the lockdown. The EPA has continued to respond to complaints, incidents and emergencies by carrying out site inspections and engaging with licensees and the public where necessary in a risk-based and proportionate manner in line with the EPA Compliance and Enforcement Policy7.
Regulated activities
Many sites and activities regulated by the EPA provide services that are required in the fight against Covid-19 and are essential to society. The EPA recognises the significant impact the Covid-19 pandemic is having on EPA licensees and other EPA regulated activities. Many licensees and others regulated by the EPA have had to dramatically and suddenly adapt during the pandemic. This has unfortunately resulted in some licensees/activities ceasing operation, scaling back and/or changing how they operate. The EPA is working with those we regulate to respond to this dynamic situation while at the same time ensuring that human health and environmental protection is not compromised.
The EPA has been innovative and has carried out over 90 remote compliance assessments to date on selected facilities where the need to be physically present was less pressing. These
7 http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/enforcement/EPA_ComplianceandEnforcementPolicy.pdf
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 14
virtual inspections involve review of documentation, video-conference interviews with licensees and virtual tours of the sites, targeting areas requested by the inspectors. These remote compliance assessments were completed in addition to our physical inspections dealing with complaints, incidents and emergencies.
The EPA has continued to engage with Irish Water in relation to the safe provision of drinking water and the treatment of waste water from our cities, towns and villages recognising the importance of these services to Irish society. Photographic evidence of the completion of capital works is used to assess if progress is sufficient to remove supplies from the Drinking Water Remedial Action List. The EPA has engaged with Irish Water to ensure that, as physical inspections return, EPA inspectors do not pose a hazard to site staff who continue to operate essential water service infrastructure.
The EPA recognises that its radiological licensees may be impacted in a number of different ways by the current crisis. Many of our medical licensees are facing very high levels of demand, some licensees will have limited access to technical services such as maintenance, due to travel restrictions while others have had to pause or limit their operations during the crisis. In response, the EPA has taken a number of actions to support licensees including the issuing of additional advice and guidance, ensuring that the necessary resources were in place to enable rapid turnaround of authorisations for medical radiological equipment and the routine check-in with holders of high activity radiation sources to identify any security concerns. The EPA will also launch a series of webinars for Radiation Protection Advisors that will replace our annual face-to-face meeting.
Complaints
The public plays a vital role in assisting the EPA to protect the environment. There has been a significant increase in the number of issues and complaints reported to the National Environmental Complaints line and through the “See it? Say it!” mobile phone App, with nearly three and half thousand complaints reported since the beginning of the year (Table 1).
In April and May over 75% more complaints were reported compared with the same period in 2019. The EPA worked with local authorities and the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities to make sure that complaints were directed to the appropriate local authority and addressed.
The EPA has been carrying out
remote compliance assessments where
possible.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 15
Total ALL complaints 2020 by month
APP NECL Total 2020 Total 2019
% change comparing 2020 month to previous year’s month
JAN 2020 440 170 610 480 127%
FEB 2020 310 190 500 430 116%
MAR 2020 470 230 700 450 156%
APR 2020 620 260 880 490 180%
MAY 2020 560 220 780 460 170%
JUN 2020 510 250 760 480 158%
Table 1: All complaints routed to local authorities through the “See it? Say it!” App and the National Environmental Complaints Line (All figures rounded to the nearest 10).
Note: This table does not include complaints received directly by the EPA as these reports are fewer in number and are not direct complaints – rather complaints about local authority handling of matters.
The EPA encourages the public to report suspected pollution incidents to the relevant local authority using the “See it? Say it!” app, by calling the National Environmental Complaints Line (1850 365 121) or by contacting the local authority directly.
Complaints about EPA licensed facilities
The EPA has also received more complaints about activities in facilities regulated by the EPA, indicating people’s awareness of their local environment during the lockdown.
Once a complaint against a licensed facility is received, it is recorded and directed to the licensee by the EPA for investigation. At this stage, the EPA may also decide that it requires further investigation and open a Compliance Investigation with a specific set of Actions or Instructions for the licensee to carry out. The EPA may separately carry out its own monitoring and additional enforcement work may be necessary. If the complaints continue and/or if the licensee has not carried out the works required to rectify the problem, the EPA may take legal action against the licensee.
There was a significant spike in odour complaints in the period March to June 2020, peaking in April 2020 (Figure 3).
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 16
Figure 3: Odour, noise and air quality complaints over the last 18 months for Industrial and Waste licensed facilities.
There were 420 odour complaints for the period from 1/1/20 to 30/6/20 with two facilities responsible for 54% of complaints, compared to 125 complaints in the same period for 2019 where two facilities were responsible for 28% of complaints.
There were 161 noise complaints for the period from 1/1/20 to 30/6/20 with one facility responsible for 43% of complaints, compared to 70 complaints in the same period for 2019 where one facility was responsible for 53% of complaints.
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Air Quality Noise Odour/Smells
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 17
06 ENVIRONMENTAL QUERIESKey Observations
> Significant increase in queries from the public on neighbourhood noise > Consistent engagement from the public on environmental queries during the lockdown
period
Figure 4: General Environmental Queries processed by calendar month for the Covid-19 period and the same period in 2019
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Mar Apr May Jun
235
160
209
159
220206 210
270
2019 2020
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 18
The number of environmental queries received for the period 1st March 2020 – 30th June 2020 was 795 - similar for the same period last year. However, there was a considerable increase in June 2020 with a total of 270 queries received, attributed primarily to wastewater and private well queries. Areas of interest included domestic wastewater treatment systems, grant schemes, performance standards of septic tanks and private well testing.
In reviewing queries across the lock down period, the topics of interest to the public were similar in nature to last year. However, the thematic areas which increased during lockdown included residential noise, waste activities and information on cleaning products. There was an increased interest for EPA product approval requests relating to cleaning products and enquiries on the impact of the use of bleaches and other cleaning products on the environment.
With people spending more time in their homes we observed a 38% increase in queries from the public seeking clarification on neighbourhood noise and the relevant legislation on the right of redress to the District Court.
Furthermore, as people were confined to their local areas we received many enquiries on how to report illegal waste activities including backyard burning and illegal roadside dumping. The public were also seeking advice on how to dispose of certain products as people carried out clear-outs.
There was a considerable
increase in environmental queries in June
2020 compared to last year.
Ireland in the Pandemic: Environmental Observations 19
ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING PROGRAMMELICENSING PLAN FOR 2017
44%
17%
10%
Industrial Emissions/Industrial Pollution Control
Waste
Change Project
Waste Water Discharge
GMO
Other Work
LicensingInspectorResource
OEE Priority Sites
Greenfield &Significant
Investments
Revenue
EnvironmentalOutcome
Age ofApplication
StatutoryDeadline/
InfringementRisk
PolicyDrivers
Client andThird Party
Demand
ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING
PROGRAMME
LICENSING PLAN FOR 2016
6%
4%
19%
