EPA News Spring 2011

The newsletter of the Environmental Protection Agency

Inside epaNews

Director General's Statement

Focus on Landfilling in Ireland

Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009 Report 

Drinking Water Report 2008-2009

STRIVE News

Climate Change Lecture Series

StopFoodWaste Website Launch

EPA Awards

Reductions in Emissions of transboundary air pollutants

Environment in Focus

Monitoring of Dioxins, PCBs and other micropollutants in cow's milk

National Waste Report 2009

Air Quality Report 2009

Director General's Statement

Welcome to the Spring 2011 edition of EPANews. 

2011 will be a challenging year for the EPA as we strive to keep environmental protection high on the political agenda while continuing to adapt to difficult national economic circumstances and to commitments in the new Programme for Government.   The challenge for regulatory agencies and the economic sectors in Ireland in the coming years will be to ensure that economic recovery develops along a secure path to a low carbon and environmentally sustainable future.

In terms of reform of the public sector, the EPA is fully committed to the type of change foreseen in the Public Service Agreement and our Action Plan, available at www.epa.ie/about/psa/, is currently being implemented.  We will work with our many stakeholders and partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors to deliver a higher quality service to the public.  We also now have a new government in place and I look forward to working with the new Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr Phil Hogan, TD, in providing for a well-protected and clean environment which supports a thriving economy.

Amidst these challenges, the EPA has had a busy start to the year with the release of three national reports, the hosting of two Climate Change lectures and an extensive intervention at the Kerdiffstown landfill site in Co. Kildare - during a serious fire there in January and February.  The EPA was centrally involved, along with the Fire and Emergency Services and Kildare County Council in bringing the fire under control and securing the site, and we remain fully committed to the clean-up and remediation of this site so that it is no longer a source of nuisance or a threat to the health and well-being of the people living in proximity to it.  Remediation will require a major civil engineering project lasting a number of years.  We are committed to keeping the local community informed as work progresses. 

The three national reports released in February were the National Waste Report 2009, the Drinking Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009 report and the Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009 report.  You will find articles on all of these topics in the newsletter.  Their main findings were:

• While Ireland is well advanced towards achieving most of the EU waste recovery and recycling targets, continued efforts are required in three areas:  diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill, increasing the penetration of source separated waste collection services, and prevention of waste arisings in all sectors of society. (National Waste Report 2009).
• A 50% reduction in the detection of E.coli in Irish public drinking water has been observed in the last two years.  Much needed improvements to our drinking water infrastructure are attributed to focused investment in water treatment plants at risk of failing to meet drinking water standards, highlighted by EPA in its Remedial Action List.  A further 264 supplies are in need of remedial action. (Drinking Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009 report).
• There have been improvements in water quality in Ireland as evidenced by data from 1,700 rivers, 222 lakes, 89 estuarine and coastal waterbodies and 211 groundwater monitoring stations.  Continued actions across a range of sectors, along with clear water governance arrangements are needed if Ireland is to achieve its European water quality obligations. (Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009 report).

The EPA also held two further lectures in the Climate Change lecture series in the Mansion House, Dublin following on from the success of the Mary Robinson lecture on climate justice in November of last year.   The lectures in February and March on the topics of transport and agriculture were once again very well attended.  All three lectures are covered in this edition of our newsletter. We will shortly be producing a transcript of the Mary Robinson lecture in the form of a special pamphlet to mark the occasion of her contribution to the EPA series.

This year we will produce a Statement of Strategy for the coming three years.  The findings of the independent review of the EPA, which has been carried out over the past 12 months and is in its final stages, will assist us in this work, along with submissions received through the public consultation for that review.  While the broad environmental objectives of the 2020 Vision goals for Ireland’s environment identified in 2007 will probably remain the same, this new strategy will be developed in the context of equipping the EPA to deliver efficiently and effectively on its mandate in the leaner times ahead.

Mary Kelly, Director General.

Focus on Landfilling in Ireland

Landfills in Ireland were brought under the regulatory control of the EPA with the introduction of the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 and the Waste Management Act, 1996.  Many landfills closed around this time, while the remainder of operational landfills became licensed by the EPA.  The 1999 Landfill Directive was a major milestone in the regulation of landfills in Europe, as it specified the technical requirements for landfill design, operation, closure and aftercare.  It also set deadlines for the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) from landfill.  It was later supplemented by a Council Decision which specified the criteria for the acceptance of waste at landfills. 

The EPA published its Focus on Landfilling in Ireland  report in September 2010.  The report examines the standards of operation and management at landfills in Ireland and charts the progress made since the EPA began licensing the landfill sector in the mid-1990s. 

The overall number of open landfills decreased from over 200 in the mid-1980s to 48 in 2009.  There was significant consolidation in the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sector with the number of open MSW landfills decreasing from almost 100 in 1995, to 30 in 2009. (This has declined further to 21 MSW landfills accepting waste presently).  Private sector involvement in the MSW landfill sector increased significantly. 

Regulation of closed landfills became an increasingly significant issue with 68 closed landfills covered by EPA licences, and over 300 legacy local authority landfills requiring regulation under the Waste Management (Certification of Historic Unlicenced Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity) Regulations, 2008. 

The regulation of landfills by the EPA has resulted in significant improvement in landfill operational standards with significant advances made in the areas of waste acceptance, lining, leachate management, gas management and environmental monitoring. (See Table)

Compliance with legislation is assessed by the EPA through the completion of site inspections and audits and monitoring of emissions and the quality of the environment.  The EPA reports that:

• 434 audits and inspections of landfills were undertaken by EPA inspectors in 2008/2009, in addition to almost 200 monitoring visits to sample surface water, groundwater, leachate and landfill gas.
• 15 landfill operators were prosecuted between 2001 and 2009, with fines and costs totalling €250,347.
• 207 Notices of Non-Compliance were issued to landfill operators in 2008/2009.

Regulation of this sector by the EPA has resulted in:

• Installation of over 150 hectares of lining in landfills, thereby protecting water.
• Collection and treatment of 1.4 million cubic metres of leachate, thereby reducing the impact on water.
• Increased use and flaring of landfill gas, leading to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the landfill sector between 1990 and 2008.

The report also sets out the regulatory challenges facing the sector and develops an action plan focused on seven priority areas:

1. Diversion of biodegradable municipal waste
2. Landfill gas management
3. Legacy landfills
4. Environmental liabilities and financial provision
5. Cover and capping
6. Leachate management
7. Waste acceptance

Diversion of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) is a particular priority.  There are strict BMW diversion targets for 2013 and 2016 which will require considerable effort to achieve.  To this purpose, the EPA reviewed landfill licences in 2009 and 2010, to specify limits on the amount of BMW accepted at landfills and is auditing and enforcing these limits.

Landfill gas is a source of greenhouse gas and poses other environmental risks if not managed properly.  It is also odorous and accounted for 71% of all complaints to the EPA in relation to licensed facilities in 2009.   The EPA has engaged in significant enforcement in relation to this issue, including seven successful prosecutions in relation to odour impact from 2005 to 2009 - and submission of three files to the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2009.  This will continue to be a priority.

The EPA contacted all local authorities in 2010 in relation to the requirements to register, risk assess and apply for authorisations for legacy local authority landfills (historic unlicensed local authority landfills that operated between 1977 and 1997).  The EPA recommended that priority be given to high risk landfills.  The EPA developed a number of tools to assist local authorities in this work, including a Code of Practice for risk assessment of legacy landfills, decision matrices to ensure site investigations are carried out to the standards required under the Code of Practice and an electronic register and geographic information system (GIS) based risk assessment tool.  The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government also funded a pilot project for local authorities on environmental risk assessment of 15 legacy landfills in 2009, which was extended to 2010.

Significant financial provision is required to fund future closure, restoration and aftercare costs at landfills which continue to pose an environmental risk after closure.  This challenge becomes even greater against a backdrop of declining revenues at landfills in recent years.  Landfill operators must ensure that plans and financial provision are in place for closure, restoration and aftercare.  The EPA issued guidance on environmental liabilities management in 2006 which provides a framework for assessing environmental liabilities associated with a site and guidance on financial provision.  It has also established an Environmental Liability Unit which is actively reviewing financial provision at landfills. 

Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009

The Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009 report is the latest in the series of comprehensive three year reviews of water quality in Ireland. It presents a detailed review of all the main aspects of the quality of the aquatic environment in Ireland for the years 2007 to 2009, in order to provide guidance towards the protection and enhancement of this resource.

The report is based on measurements made at:

• 211 groundwater monitoring locations;
• almost 2,500 sites on more than 1,700 rivers and streams (representing over 13,000 km of channel length);
• 42 locations on 11 canal water bodies;
•  in 222 lakes (representing almost 1,000 km2 of surface area) and
•  in 89 estuarine and coastal waters.

The three main challenges for water quality management are:

1. eliminating serious pollution associated with point sources, that is wastewater treatment plants;
2. tackling diffuse pollution, meaning pollution from farming and septic tanks; and
3. using the full range of legislative measures in an integrated way to achieve better water quality.

Summary Findings

Groundwaters (i.e. the water beneath the surface of the ground)

• 85% of groundwater bodies were classed as good status and 15% as poor.
• There was a general reduction in phosphate and nitrate concentrations compared to the previous period. However, the nitrate drinking water limit was exceeded in 50 (2%) of samples taken from the national groundwater network.
• Positive faecal coliform counts were detected in 35% of water samples taken during this period.
• The main sources of pollution which contributed to the poor status groundwater bodies and polluted wells were farming activities and on-site wastewater treatment systems, such as septic tanks.

Rivers & Streams

• The overall trend in Irish rivers and stream quality is steady, with 69% of river channels classed as unpolluted. This figure has remained close to 70% Class A (unpolluted) for the past two decades
• The survey records 4100 km of river channel that is polluted to a greater or lesser extent.
• The main causes of this pollution are agriculture (450 sites) and municipal wastewater treatment plants (357 sites).
• Serious pollution in rivers and streams has reduced further to 52.5 km (0.4% of surveyed channel length), its lowest level in recent decades.
• The number of seriously polluted sites has halved to 20.
• A marked reduction in the number of fish kills was recorded, from 122 in the previous period down to 72.
• The available data indicate that the levels of potentially dangerous substances such as pesticides and herbicides are generally insignificant in water.

Lakes

• The proportion of lakes with an overall satisfactory water quality was 81%, which is on a par with the previous reporting periods.
• A total of 25 lakes are in poor or bad status, based on Water Framework Directive classification; 15 of these are located in counties Cavan and Monaghan.
• Three of the nine designated fresh water bathing areas (all of which are situated on lakes) failed to achieve compliance with the EU mandatory standards.

Estuaries and Coastal Waters

• The results of the latest assessment shows an improvement in overall water quality compared with previous assessments, in particular where waste water treatment plants have been upgraded, e.g., the Garavogue estuary in Sligo.
• Of the 89 tidal areas assessed for trophic status, 85% were classed as intermediate or unpolluted, while 15 % were classed as eutrophic or potentially eutrophic. 
• Areas which continue to be affected by eutrophication include: inner Dundalk Bay, the Broadmeadow estuary (Co. Dublin), the lower Slaney, upper Barrow, Argideen (Co. Cork), Bandon and Tralee estuaries.
• Levels of organic enrichment have declined with the current assessment, indicating a considerable improvement on previous assessments.
• This improvement is most likely the result of improved waste water treatment of discharges to coastal waters.
• Levels of contaminants in fish and shellfish remained low and the quality of Irish seafood produce remains high.
• The vast majority of bathing areas achieved ‘sufficient’ water quality status over the assessment period. However, a number of areas, including Clifden, (Co. Galway) and Balbriggan (Co. Dublin), are consistently classified as poor.
• Further measures, including the provision of appropriate waste water treatment, is required if all bathing waters are to comply with EU standards.
• A substantial proportion of estuaries and coastal waters are at risk of not achieving the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive by 2015. This highlights the need for the implementation of measures to reduce the risk of these waters failing to meet their objectives.
• The Irish Coast Guard received 152 reports of pollution in the period, with mineral oils comprising the bulk (84%) of the polluting material observed, with diesel and gas oils most commonly identified. In the majority of cases the identity of the vessels could not be established.

Water Framework Directive
A key development in the last three years has been the publication of the River Basin Management Plans, including the setting of objectives for waterbodies and the selection of Programmes of Measures to meet the objectives of the Water Framework Directive.

The Directive has been a core element of Irish law since 2003. Its main requirements include:

• the attainment of good quality in all waters by 2015 or in some areas, 2021;
• the management of waters on a River Basin District (RBD) basis;
• the elimination of the discharge of certain harmful substances to waters  and
• the sustainable use of water resources.

Good progress was made in the period with the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. New monitoring programmes for surface and groundwaters were made operational in 2007. Each of the seven River Basin Districts published their Management plans in 2010, which set out objectives for waterbodies and the range of measures to ensure achieving the Water Framework Directives targets.

Drinking Water Report 2008-2009

The European Communities (Drinking Water) No. 2, Regulations, 2007 assign the EPA the role of supervisory authority over public drinking water supplies, and provides powers of enforcement to ensure actions are taken where the quality of public drinking water is deficient. 

Each year the EPA collects and analyses over 250,000 local authority monitoring results for all drinking water supplies.  The Quality and Provision of Drinking Water in Ireland: A Report for the Years 2008 - 2009 assesses the safety and security of drinking water supplies based on the results of local authority monitoring carried out in 2008 and 2009, and enforcement by the EPA in the same period. 

 In Ireland, the majority of drinking water comes from public water supplies (85%) with the remainder provided by group water schemes and private supplies (including wells serving single houses).

In relation to the safety of water supplies, the EPA found that:

• Escherichia coli (E. coli – a bacteria that is an indicator of whether human or animal waste has entered a water supply) was detected on at least one occasion in 2.9% of public water supplies (27) during 2009.
• The number of private group water schemes where E. coli was detected dropped from 134 (25%) in 2008 to 87 (17%) in 2009. In general, the microbiological quality of private group water schemes remains inferior to public water supplies.
• Compliance with the chemical standards overall was 99.2% in 2009 and this remains high for most chemical standards. This is a decline from 99.5% in 2008 because of poorer compliance with the new trihalomethanes standard. (The Trihalomethanes standard changed from150 µg/l to100 µg/l on 25th December 2008.)
• Compliance with the indicator parameters such as aluminium (97%) and turbidity (92% at the water treatment plant) remains an area for improvement.

For the security of water supplies, the EPA found that:

• A remedial action list (RAL) of public water supplies was prepared by the EPA in 2008. Since then, 42% (142) of supplies on the original RAL have been removed because the necessary remedial actions have been completed. This includes the public water supplies in three cities (Limerick, Galway and Waterford) which were upgraded and removed from the RAL. 
• At the end of September 2010, 269 public water supplies remained on the RAL (72 new supplies have been added to the RAL since 2008). The list includes 73 supplies identified as high risk where appropriate barriers to Cryptosporidium need to be installed (50 supplies using surface water and 23 spring sources influenced by surface water).  The population served by supplies that have been removed from the RAL is over 500,000. The remaining supplies on the RAL collectively supply water to a population of 1,162,112 persons. Thirteen Water Services Authorities did not provide an estimation of the timeframe for the completion of remedial actions for 44 supplies. 
• There has been a 41% increase in the provision of chlorine monitors and alarms at treatment plants. These are a vital instrument to control the disinfection process and thus reduce the incidence of E. coli in drinking water. At the end of 2009, 81% of public water supply treatment plants had such equipment in place. The remaining work is scheduled for completion by local authorities.
• 40 new boil water notices and 13 water restrictions notices (serving approximately 93,000 persons) were put in place by 17 Water Services Authorities in 2009. Adverse weather conditions in November 2009 alone led to the imposition of boil water notices on 10 public water supplies (serving approximately 70,000 persons).

The Enforcement of Drinking Water Quality in Ireland

The EPA has adopted a risk based and outcome-driven approach to the enforcement of the Drinking Water Regulations – focusing on issues that present the greatest risk to health, such as contamination with E. coli and Cryptosporidium.  The EPA is notified by local authorities of each failure to meet the microbiological and chemical standards or where there is a potential danger to human health. 

The EPA carried out 66 audits of water treatment plants in 2008 and 114 audits in 2009.  Inadequate protection of the source water and improvements to the operation of filters and disinfection processes were among the main findings. The EPA issued 44 legally binding Directions to 16 local authorities in 2008 and 28 legally binding Directions to 9 local authorities in 2009. The Directions require specific actions to be undertaken to improve the security of the relevant public water supply. 

The EPA is encouraging all Water Service Authorities to adopt the Water Safety Plan approach. This approach is the most effective means of consistently ensuring the safety and security of a drinking water supply from the catchment to consumer.

EPA STRIVE News
The Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment (STRIVE) programme 2007 – 2013

EPA Provides funding for eight research projects

Following evaluation of proposals received in 2010, the EPA has provided funding to support research in eight projects across a broad range of environmental topics. The projects have a strong focus on supporting environmental policy. Summary information is provided below:

CLEANER GREENER PRODUCTION PROGRAMME

EPA provides funding for nine new projects under the Cleaner Greener Production Programme

The Cleaner Greener Production Programme (CGPP) encourages Irish business and organisations to implement cleaner greener practices. The long-term aim of this EPA Programme is to ensure that cleaner greener production and eco-efficiency become the established norm in Ireland.  The programme demonstrates to companies how to improve business practices and establish eco-efficiency in producing goods and services in more environmentally friendly ways.  The objective is to achieve a balance between economic activity and protection of the environment, across various sectors, such as manufacturing, food processing, IT and services, by targeting the minimisation of emissions through cleaner production methods.

Following the CGPP-Phase 5 call in 2010, nine new projects have been awarded funding and are now up and running. These are:

1. Cleaner Greener Production at Tech Group Europe, Tech Group Europe
2. Investigation into energy reduction and recovery at JFC, JFC Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
3. Eco-efficiency & Upcycling in Crumb Rubber Manufacture, Crumb Rubber Ireland Ltd.
4. Water Recovery Feasibility Study, FDT Consulting  Engineers & Project Managers Ltd
5. CO2 Recovery from Exhaust Gas & Processes for Re-Us,e FDT Consulting  Engineers & Project Managers Ltd
6. Cleaner Greener Efficient Production Network, SPeco Services Ltd
7. Green Seafood Business, Bord Iascaigh Mhara
8. Resource Minimisation at COPE Galway in the charity sector, COPE Galway
9. Logistics, Waste & Energy Optimisation Project, Jack Cuthbert Handmade Bread Ltd.

CGPP organisation wins major Environmental Award

Noonan, the market-leading supplier of facility services in Ireland, has been awarded the Chambers Ireland 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Large Indigenous Company under the Environment category. Noonan is one of 15 companies to have secured funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cleaner Greener Production Programme.  The EPA would like to congratulate Noonan on winning this prestigious award.

RECENT EPA STRIVE REPORTS

A brief selection of some recent STRIVE reports is given below. Reports are being published continually and can be found on the EPA website.

• Nanotechnology: public engagement with health, environmental and social issues - Pádraig Murphy (Dublin City University)
• Contaminant movement and attenuation along pathways from the land surface to aquatic receptors - M. Archbold et al. (Queen’s University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin & University College Dublin)
• Water Framework Directive: Integration, Negotiation and Communication of Optimal Measures with Stakeholders - M. Bruen et al. (University College Dublin)
• Impact of Plant Nutrients on Primary Productivity in Running Waters: Evaluating the Risk to Stream Ecological Status - Michael M. Sturt et al. (University College Cork)
• Novel Biotechnological Approach To Phosphorus Removal From Wastewaters - John W. McGrath & John P. Quinn (Queens University Belfast)
• Development of an alum sludge based constructed wetland system for improving organic matter and nutrients removal in high strength wastewater - Yaqian Zhao (University College Dublin)
• Health Effects Associated with the Atmospheric Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - Shouming Zhou and John C. Wenger (University College Cork)

RESEARCH EVENTS

21st Irish Environmental Researchers’ Colloquium

The largest (and longest running) annual meeting of environmental researchers in Ireland was held in early April in University College Cork (UCC). The 21st Irish Environmental Researchers’ Colloquium - ENVIRON 2011 - attracted over 300 researchers and delegates from a wide variety of scientific and engineering disciplines. The event offered a unique forum for researchers, government and industry to discover emerging areas of environmental, energy and marine research along with potential environmental technologies for the future. For 2011, the EPA joined as a partner in the event, along with the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland and University College Cork. 

The theme of this year’s colloquium was Towards 2020: Environmental challenges and opportunities for the next decade.  The “2020” date reflects the many environmental targets that have been set for the next decade, particularly in the area of climate change reduction in EU greenhouse gas and renewable energy generation.  The “2020” date also reflects the EPA 2020 Vision strategy, which sets down goals to address environmental challenges in the areas of climate change, clean air, water, soil and biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources. 

The former Chairman of UK Science Advisory Committee on the Environment & Climate Change (Professor Michael Depledge) delivered the colloquium keynote address on the topic of “Health and the Value of Nature”.

Challenges of Monitoring Priority Pollutants in the Environment

On March 10th, Dublin City University hosted a workshop to discuss regulatory agency requirements, as well as differing monitoring approaches to Priority & Hazardous Substances. The workshop presented the results and conclusions of an EPA-funded research project establishing an index that relates population equivalents to the occurrence and/or concentration of dangerous and priority substances. This project also represents an important collaboration between two research centres with analytical expertise and two County Councils, building capability to establish emission factors for priority and dangerous substances.

Further information on this work is available.

EPA Post-graduate Research Seminar

As part of Science Week 2010, the EPA held its eighth annual Post-graduate Research Seminar at the Convention Centre, Dublin. Some 150 delegates attended the seminar, which included over 20 presentations by EPA funded postgraduate researchers across a broad spectrum of environmental topics including air quality; climate change; environment and health; waste and resource management; biodiversity; water quality; soils and land-use. The theme for the conference was Communicating Science. 

The keynote address was delivered by then RTÉ Environment Correspondent Paul Cunningham, who emphasised the importance of good communication skills for scientists – especially in terms of generating a public or government response to their findings. Other speakers at the event addressed topics such as sustainable transport for local communities, climate change adaptation and antimicrobial resistant bacteria in Irish waters.

View presentations from the conference

FP7-Environment Information Day 2010

At a conference in October, Irish and international experts addressed over 100 leading researchers advising them on how to maximise success in accessing EU research funds.

This event is part of the support the EPA provides to Irish researchers to help them leverage funding from the EU to undertake research needed to tackle urgent environmental issues. In the current economic climate, we must maximise the value from environmental research that has been funded nationally, by the EPA and others. Research plays a critical role in supporting environmental management.

Dr Imelda Lambkin, Enterprise Ireland - who is the National Director of Ireland's National Support Network for FP7 - provided an update on Ireland’s success under the FP7 programme. Other presenters included:

• Prof David Taylor from Trinity College Dublin, who is leading a research project looking at human health and environmental change in east Africa;
• Dr Anthony Grehan, from NUI Galway, who is participating in a number of research projects looking at the marine environment including the effects of climate change;
• Dr Enrique Playán from the Spanish National Research Council, who described major future opportunities in the area of water quality and quantity and
• Dr Julian Wilson, from the European Commission, who spoke about research needs for developing earth observation technologies.

The EPA organises a national information day each year to promote the publication of FP7-Environment calls, facilitate networking and increase cooperation between European research teams. Since 2007, €30 million in EU funding from the FP7 programme has been awarded to Irish researchers. This funding supports 95 projects being carried out by colleges and companies throughout Ireland, alongside European partners, to protect and improve our environment. The FP7 programme will run until 2013.

INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

Framework Programme 7

Preliminary results from the last Environment calls indicate that there were 20 Irish participants, of which five are involved in three proposals which have been selected for negotiation:

• TURaS: Transitioning towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability  - coordinated by UCD with Dublin City Council and Dermot Foley Landscape Architects Ltd. as partners;
• INTEGRAL: Future-oriented integrated management of European forest landscapes with UCD as partner and
• JHEP: Coordination action in support of the implementation of a Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) on Cultural Heritage and Global Change : a new challenge for Europe with the Heritage Council as partner.

The next call is expected to be published in July 2011.

More information is available online  or e-mail queries to fp7@epa.ie.

Catalogue of Irish expertise in environmental research

The Catalogue of Irish Expertise in Environmental Research is an online tool to support researchers and enterprises in finding appropriate partners for FP7 activities. The catalogue contains a large database of potential partners which can be searched by keywords, names etc. There are now 174 profiles in the Catalogue, providing details of the skills and experience of people and organisations interested in participating in FP7.

RESEARCH RESOURCES

EPA Research News on Twitter:
Updates and announcements from the EPA research programme are available through the EPA Research News Twitter site.

Resources
The following websites provide additional resources of interest for researchers:

Web

• EPA Research Publications
• ERC Environmental Research Data Archive website 
• National Soil Database Archive website
• Cleaner Greener Production Programme website
• FP7 website
• Online Catalogue of Irish Expertise in Environmental Research
• SKEP website
• ERA-ENVHealth website

Climate Change Lecture Series

The EPA’s highly successful Climate Change Lecture Series continued in November 2010 with a talk from Mary Robinson entitled Re-shaping the Debate on Climate Change.  In February, Professor Julia King spoke about Climate Change: The Transport Challenge and in March Mr. Alexandre Meybeck spoke on the topic of Climate Change & Agriculture: ensuring food production is not threatened. All three lectures were very well attended with substantial queues and standing room only for certain talks. 

Re-shaping the Debate on Climate Change
Mary Robinson’s lecture focused on climate change as a human rights issue, and how our actions (and inaction!) are already affecting those in other countries. Those most responsible for climate change, with the highest total and per-capita emissions of CO2, are being affected least, whilst those with least CO2 emissions are being affected now. Also, rich countries can afford to adapt to climate change, but those in poorer countries do not have the luxury of being able to afford to do this.

Mary Robinson’s lecture on YouTube has already had over 7,000 views – including a significant number in Bangladesh, one of the many countries that will be affected most by the impacts of climate change, and who can ill afford to bear this cost.

For more information on the work of Mary Robinson you can check out the newly established Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice.

Climate Change: The Transport Challenge
Professor Julia King emphasised the huge impact of transport emissions globally, and the necessity for large reductions in emissions by 2050 – requiring new and innovative alternatives to be implemented. Apart from climate change, the trend towards $200/barrel oil would also provide an added incentive for this investment.

Professor King also emphasised the savings possible from changing behaviours, saying
,blockquote>“It is amazing what we can achieve by changing our behaviour. Even today, if we could convince people to just buy the lowest emission car in their class we could save up to 40% on new car emissions, and even more if people chose a smaller car.”

While emphasizing that all options must be on the table to meet the required reductions in emissions from transport, Professor King seemed to think that, of the options available - electric, biofuels and hydrogen - electric cars were the best option.  However she also emphasized that

“we are eventually going to need all these solutions, there is no point changing our dependency on oil to a dependency on lithium.”

Professor King explained that a common concern people have in relation to electric cars is range anxiety. However, she advised that 97% of people drive less than 50 miles a day - which an electric car is capable of doing. Hence, she maintains electric cars are still the best option at the moment.

Climate Change & Agriculture: ensuring food production is not threatened
The most recent lecture in the series was given by Mr Alexandre Meybeck, a Senior Policy Officer at the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organisation.
Mr Meybeck emphasized that one of the biggest challenges of this century will be providing food for a projected population (by 2050) of nine billion people, in the face of increasing impacts from climate change and growing competition for the use of natural resources.  Mr Meybeck’s lecture addressed three intertwined challenges for agriculture:

1. Food systems have to ensure food security for all.
2. Food systems have to adapt to climate change and become more resilient at every level, from local to global; taking regional imbalances into account - since the effects of climate change will vary greatly across regions.
3. How and to what extent food systems can contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change.

Calling for ‘climate-smart agriculture’, Mr Meybeck emphasized the scale of the changes coming and the necessity of both mitigation and adaptation. In response to several questions from the audience, he emphasised that we would ‘need every tool in our tool box’ and could not rule out any options (for example, GMOs or organic farming) at this point.

Different regions and different sized farms would require different solutions. He also emphasized that intensive agriculture can be quite resource efficient and that ‘sustainable intensification’ of agriculture would likely be necessary to meet a growing demand for food in a world where already two billion are malnourished.

The EPA has now hosted 13 lectures in their climate change lecture series, and all of these are available on the EPA website  and on the EPA’s YouTube channel . For short, timely updates on the work of the Climate Change Unit you can follow us on Twitter .

Stop Food Waste Website

The StopFoodWaste.ie  website was developed to provide tips and advice on how to reduce food waste in the home, and how to compost any food waste that cannot be prevented. The official launch of the website took place in Dublin on 23rd November 2010.  The Stop Food Waste programme is an initiative of the EPA-led National Waste Prevention Programme, and began in 2009.

The launch event saw three of the Country’s top chefs, Rachel Allen, Kevin Thornton and Donal Skehan, taking time out to demonstrate how to prepare ‘reduced waste’ meals and provide tips on how to shop for, and prepare, food in the most cost effective and sustainable way possible.

To coincide with the launch, the results of a national research survey of 1,100 people were also revealed. The survey found that 51% of Irish people throw away food regularly. In fact, 30% of food ends up in the bin, costing the average household around €700 annually. The extensive survey also revealed the main foods that are regularly thrown out in Irish homes are fruits (apples, bananas and grapes) and vegetables (lettuce, potatoes, and carrots). Other foods regularly thrown out include bread and bread rolls, condiments (spreads, jams, relishes and sauces), yoghurts, dairy desserts and food leftovers.

The initial focus of this programme has been on the householder and is designed to empower consumers to reduce food waste by rethinking how they should shop, store, cook and re-use food. However, work is also progressing to encourage food waste prevention in the retail sector, initially working with the retail sector to continue to influence consumer choices, but also to explore the issue of preventing food waste produced by the sector itself.

Much of the initial work of this programme involved developing guidance and training resources on food waste prevention and home composting for local authorities to distribute to householders in their areas. The programme aims to support existing policy measures to limit the amount of household biodegradable waste requiring collection and central treatment. Working with local authorities, a uniform set of technically correct support materials was produced and food waste prevention and home composting were promoted at a community level.

The programme has also resulted in the building of four composting demonstration sites around the country. These sites have been used to train nearly 100 people, from a variety of community groups, on the workings of the various composting systems available. These volunteers have in turn committed to an additional thirty hours outreach, to train people in their communities on how to compost at home.

European Week for Waste Reduction
The launch of StopFoodWaste.ie coincided with the second European Week for Waste Reduction, which ran from 20th to 28th November 2010. The aim of European Week for Waste Reduction is to raise awareness about the waste reduction strategies of EU and Member States, and to encourage behaviour changes to promote more sustainable consumption and production. Partners in the National Waste Prevention Programme organised over 46 events in Ireland throughout the week. The events were aimed at the general public, business and other organisations and highlighted the ongoing work being done on waste prevention and resource efficiency in the areas of waste, water & energy. More information on these events can be found on the EPA website at www.ewwr.ie.

EPA Awards

EPA ‘enforcement model’ shortlisted for innovation awards

The EPA’s innovative approach to the regulation of the quality of public drinking water  supplies - The Iceberg Model - was recently shortlisted for the 2011 Irish Times Innovation awards. 

The iceberg model of enforcement uses two broad approaches to tackle environmental problems:

1. supporting measures: (those below the water surface) such as audits, assessments and guidance  and
2. visible measures: (above the water surface) such as sanctions and national reports. 

The choice of enforcement tool is selected and applied on a risk basis, whereby action is prioritised on supplies that pose the highest risk to the consumer.  The approach has resulted in a 50% reduction in the presence of E.coli in public drinking water supplies, since new regulations were introduced in 2007 making the EPA the supervising authority over public water supplies.

The success of the initiative is a collaborative effort involving the EPA, Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government, Local Authorities and the Health Service Executive. As part of the drive to reduce E.coli in drinking water the Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government funded a national programme of chlorine monitoring equipment that the EPA believed would improve the disinfection process, thereby reducing E.coli in drinking water.  The EPA would like to congratulate the staff from the 34 local authorities for the rapid time in which they installed - and used - the equipment across the 900 public supplies in the country.

The overall winner of the 2011 Irish Times Innovation Awards was InTune Networks - for developing advanced optical networking products that give carriers and internet service providers the capacity to meet growing demands for bandwidth.  Further information is available at

EPA awarded for the commitment to accessibility

The EPA recently received a Quality Award from the National Disability Authority (NDA) recognising the achievement of integrating accessibility into the provision of services to the public. The EPA received the award for its Headquarters at Johnstown Castle Estate, Wexford at the Excellence through Accessibility (EtA) Awards which were held in February.

The award was one of thirteen awards presented to public bodies around Ireland. It was received following a comprehensive audit carried out by the NDA which assessed the EPA Headquarters under the following three critical areas:

1. Access to Quality Customer Services;
2. Access to the Built Environment and
3. Access to Information and Communication Technology.

The award confirms the EPA’s commitment to continuously improving the accessibility of our services to the public. The EPA recognises the core principle that by improving accessibility of our services and communications to people with disabilities we are also improving overall accessibility to the wider population. The EPA has made a significant investment in improving accessibility not only in our headquarters but also in our five Regional Inspectorates. The integration of accessibility into the design and provision of services enables people with disabilities access to the public services with ease.

The NDA is an independent state body which provides expert advice on disability policy and practice to Government. The Excellence through Accessibility Awards were developed in partnership with the Department of Justice and Law Reform and were launched by President Mary McAleese in October 2005.

EPA Awarded GI Organisation of the Year Award

In October 2010 the EPA was awarded the GI Organisation of the Year award, at IRLOGI’s inaugural GIS Ireland Excellence Awards. IRLOGI, founded in 1995, is the umbrella organisation for the geographical information industry in Ireland and is a member of EUROGI - the European umbrella organisation for geographical information.

The GI Organisation of the Year award was based on a number of achievements and services provided by the Informatics unit in the EPA.  The EPA was an early adoptee of Geographic Information technologies and continually seeks out new technologies to integrate into its business processes, to benefit both Agency staff and the general public. 

The EPA provides environmental spatial data to stakeholders and the general public through the EPA Geoportal and has a growing number of webGIS sites for collecting, assessing and viewing environmental data. Public webGIS applications for viewing data include ENVision, the Historic Mines Inventory and Splash, all of which can be accessed through the EPA Geoportal.

Other major roles of the EPA Informatics section include coordinating the delivery of the Water Framework Directive, which involved chairing the National GIS and Data Management Group, hosting the annual GIS in Government meeting, as well as being a founding member of the Irish Spatial Data Exchange (ISDE).

Reductions in Emissions of Transboundary Air Pollutants 

The EPA produces annual emission inventories for four key pollutants:

• sulphur dioxide SO2
• nitrogen oxides NOx
• volatile organic compounds VOC and
• ammonia NH3
  as required under the National Emissions Ceilings Directive (NEC Directive). These pollutants are responsible for long-range transboundary air pollution - such as acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone pollution.

The European Union, through the National Emissions Ceiling Directive, sets Country specific national limits for these four pollutants, which must be complied with by 2010. The latest inventory data available show Ireland’s position in 2009, in relation to meeting its 2010 obligations under the NEC Directive.

Overall, these data show that Ireland is already below its 2010 limit for three of the four transboundary air pollutants; SO2, VOC and NH3. This reflects the success of initiatives such as the incentivisation of sulphur-free transport fuels; the use of cleaner natural gas; the ban on bituminous coals and IPPC licensing controls.

Despite NOx emissions declining by nearly a third between 1990 and 2009, these emissions – which are mainly due to increased vehicles - continue to pose a significant challenge.

Nitrogen Oxides NOx
The main sources of NOx emissions in Ireland are the transport and power generation sectors. NOx emissions have decreased by 31% between 1990 and 2009 and by 16% in the last year alone as shown in Figure 1. Despite this significant reduction, these figures show that, based on 2009 results, Ireland would exceed its 2010 NOx ceiling of 65 kilotonnes, by 24 kilotonnes.

In the last decade NOx emissions have declined by 16% which is largely attributable to increased penetration of catalytic converters in cars and heavy-duty vehicles. These improvements have, however, almost been offset by large increases in vehicle numbers and fuel use during a time of significant economic growth.

The power generation sector is the other main source of NOx emissions. A changing fuel mix and more modern plants have significantly decreased NOx emissions in electricity generation. The use of heavy fuel oil and coal has reduced since 1990, as natural gas became the preferred fuel during latter years, especially for new entrants in electricity generation. Furthermore, the introduction of extensive NOx emission control technology in existing plants, supported by the EPA’s Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) licensing regime, has contributed to reductions in NOx emissions from electricity generation.
 
Sulphur Dioxide SO2
Power stations are the principal source of SO2 emissions in Ireland. SO2 emissions reduced considerably between 1990 and 2009. These latest estimates indicate a decrease of 82% during that period. Ireland’s national emission ceiling for SO2, under the NEC Directive, is 42 kilotonnes to be achieved by 2010. Emissions of SO2 in 2009 were 32.7 kilotonnes - already below the 2010 ceiling.

The significant reduction in SO2 since 1990 reflects the success of national and EU policy initiatives such as the incentivisation of sulphur-free transport fuels, the use of cleaner natural gas, the ban on bituminous coal (which was initially introduced in Dublin in 1990 and has since been extended to a number of other urban centres) and the Solid Fuel Trade Group Voluntary Agreement, which is a voluntary agreement to reduce the sulphur content of solid fuels. In addition, the introduction of SO2 abatement options in power generation, supported by the EPA’s Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) licensing regime, has delivered significant reductions in SO2 emissions from this sector.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
The main sources of VOC emissions in Ireland are solvent use and transport. VOC emissions decreased by 41% between 1990 and 2009. Ireland’s national emissions ceilings for VOC is 55 kilotonnes, to be achieved by 2010. Emissions in 2009 were 52.2 kilotonnes - already below the 2010 ceiling.

The reduction in VOC emissions has largely been delivered through improved technological controls for VOCs in motor vehicles. The contribution from solvent use has remained relatively constant in absolute terms, even though drivers such as population, paint use, dry cleaning and pharmachem industrial activity have increased. This stabilisation reflects reduction in the VOC content of paints and the impact of EPA’s IPPC licensing on solvent emitting activities. 

Ammonia NH3
The agriculture sector accounts for virtually all ammonia emissions in Ireland. NH3 emissions increased by 2% between 1990 and 2009, in comparison with an allowed maximum increase of 10% under the National Emission Ceiling.

Ireland’s national emission ceiling for NH3 is 116 kilotonnes  to be achieved by 2010. Since 2003, emissions have been below the 2010 ceiling. The NH3 emissions trend is largely determined by the cattle population and showed a steady increase up to 1999. There was some decline in the populations of cattle and sheep after 1999, linked to the EU Common Agricultural Policy, as well as a decrease in fertiliser use. This contributed to a downturn in NH3 emissions in the period 2000 to 2009.  NH3 levels, associated with the agriculture sector, will become problematic if cattle numbers increase to above 2000 population levels.

Environment in Focus

The EPA recently launched Environment in Focus - a new, online environmental indicator website - which allows easier public access to environmental data. Information is presented as a dashboard of key environmental indicators arranged under seven themes – climate change, air, water, waste, land, nature and socio-economics. The website also provides a summary analysis of the main issues relevant to each of these themes, and contains links to further information including useful references, maps, websites and multimedia.

The information on the Environment in Focus website provides a useful resource for those interested in obtaining information on recent trends in the Irish environment (e.g., general public, students, researchers). The indicators also provide valuable information for policy makers, both in developing new policies and in evaluating existing ones and allow for a more informed wider debate on the steps required to protect Ireland’s environment.

The Environment in Focus initiative has allowed the EPA to move from a paper-based approach, to a mainly web-based approach to reporting on key national indicators, thus facilitating availability of up to date and more accessible environmental information.  It has been designed to meet EPA reporting requirements, including European Environment Agency State of the Environment reporting, and national indicator reporting.

The selected indicators demonstrate that Ireland faces particular challenges in meeting international obligations in relation to water quality, waste management, climate change and biodiversity protection.  

• In the area of water quality it is apparent that Ireland has a considerable way to go to ensure that its aquatic environment meets the standards set by the Water Framework Directive. The continued loss of sites of ‘high’ water quality is of particular concern.
• In the waste area, Ireland faces challenges in addressing and managing the predicted growth in waste generation; and in meeting targets set down for diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill. 
• In relation to climate change, current projections indicate that even under the most ambitious scenario, Ireland will exceed its 2020 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from non-Emissions Trading Scheme sectors (e.g., transport, agriculture, residential) to 20% below 2005 levels. It is also evident that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are steadily increasing and now exceed the natural range over the last 650,000 years.
• Designation and adequate protection of important areas for biodiversity, EU and nationally, remains a significant challenge.  A recent conservation status assessment of EU protected habitats and species in Ireland indicated that the majority of habitats are in ‘poor’ or ‘bad’ conservation status.  Although the conservation status assessment of protected species was generally better, certain protected species, particularly of wetland and aquatic environments, are also reported to be of bad conservation status, such as the Atlantic salmon and freshwater pearl mussel.

The Environment in Focus landing page provides users with the option of navigating to:

• an indicator dashboard which provides information on all of the individual indicators;
• textual information on seven themes (with display of relevant indicators where appropriate);
• an Environment and You subsection (containing information on what the individual can do to help the environment); and
• an option to download the summary of the EPA State of Environment report 2008.

The indicator dashboard displays information on all the selected indicators (of which there are over 30, grouped by theme).  Most indicators have an environmental status/trend smiley and all have a link which allows navigation to the relevant graph/table and to the original data.  All indicators are accompanied by a short key message.

The website is the culmination of extensive collaboration between EPA staff and external organizations in compiling key datasets on the Irish environment.

Monitoring of Dioxins, PCBs and other micropollutants in cow's milk

More than 90% of human exposure to dioxins is through the food supply, especially in fat-containing media such as meat and dairy products, fish and shellfish. Much lower levels are found in plants, fruit and water.  Even though human exposure from air is negligible, the primary mechanism for dioxins entering the food chain is through atmospheric deposition of dust and soot particles.   Since dioxins can be deposited by atmospheric sedimentation onto soil and vegetation - such as grass - cows' milk is considered to be a particularly suitable matrix for assessing the presence of dioxins in the environment, as long as sampling is carried out in the grazing season.

The most recent EPA report on dioxin monitoring covers a survey undertaken in the 2009 grazing season.

Sampling and Results
Two types of sampling stations were chosen:

1. Background stations covering the entire country (24 samples)
2. Type B potential impact stations in areas of perceived potential risk (13 samples)

The reported ranges for dioxins in milk fat (37 samples) were 0.180 to 0.346 pg WHO-TEQ/g with a mean of 0.233  WHO-TEQ/g.   When PCBs were included, the range   is 0.301 to 0.897  pg WHO-TEQ with a mean of 0.385 WHO-TEQ/g.

These levels are well below the EU limit in milk and milk products of 3.0 pg WHO-TEQ/g for dioxins only, and 6.0 pg WHO-TEQ/g for dioxins and PCBs combined.

All levels recorded in this survey compare favourably with those taken from a random selection of similar studies in other EU countries.

The trend of reductions observed in the earlier surveys could be attributed to a number of regulatory measures and various technological advances, reflecting the pattern shown in similar surveys across Europe. Examples of measures that were taken in Ireland and which may have had an impact on dioxin levels were the virtual abolition of leaded petrol and the shutting down of all hospital incinerators (as they were found to be inadequate and could not meet the high standards required by the EPA under IPC licensing). The shutting down of the iron smelting facility in Cork will also have had an effect.

It is also worth noting that there was no evidence to link the data from the survey to the Pork feed contamination incident in Carlow in late 2008.

Dioxins are a group of chemicals formed during incomplete or poorly controlled combustion processes, such as accidental fires and backyard waste burning, as well as from some industrial processes such as paper pulp bleaching and pesticide manufacture. Certain dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with similar toxic properties are often also included under the term “dioxins”.

Unlike dioxins, PCBs have found widespread use in a number of commercial applications, due to their physical and chemical properties, such as non-flammability, chemical inertness, high boiling points and high dielectric constants. Typical applications have been their use in pigments, sealants, rubber products, hydraulic and heat transfer systems, transformers and capacitors.

The production and use of PCBs has been discontinued for some years, but because of their persistent qualities they remain in electrical equipment, buildings and the environment. Uncontrolled burning of PCBs can give rise to the formation of dioxins in large quantities. Dioxins and PCBs are included in the “dirty dozen” list of dangerous substances known as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) which are subject to binding regulation at UN and EU level.

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and brominated dioxins (PBDD/PBDF) were also measured as part of the main survey. BFRs, many of which are now banned, are found in furniture, fabrics and electronic products as a means of reducing the flammability of combustible organic materials.  Only one category of BFRs, namely PBDEs (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers) was detected in the survey. The range for PBDEs (5 samples)  was 65 to 332 ng/kg fat with a mean of 143  ng/kg fat, in line with earlier surveys.  These levels are relatively low by international comparisons. Some congeners of PBDEs have recently been categorised as  POPs and have been included in  the EU POPs regulations.
 Brominated dioxins were not detected in the survey. They are usually formed through incineration of waste consumer products containing brominated flame-retardants.

National Waste Report 2009

The EPA publishes a National Waste Report annually as part of the National Waste Prevention Programme. The objective of the report is to present information on waste generation and management in Ireland. The EPA recognises that timely and accurate data on waste generation and management are fundamental in informing national and EU waste policy and also in reporting Ireland’s progress in meeting waste diversion and recovery targets under national and EU legislation.

The National Waste Report 2009 was published in February, and presents data on municipal solid wastes (household, commercial and local authority cleansing wastes), household waste collections, packaging waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment, end of life vehicles, construction & demolition waste, hazardous waste and waste infrastructure.

Some of the key findings are:

Municipal waste:

• Municipal waste generation was down 8.4%, mirroring the fall in national Gross National Product (GNP) and personal consumption levels, despite a rise in population.
• Municipal waste recycling achieved a rate of 35%, close to the EU27 norm of 40%.
• Household waste generation was down 3% on 2008, representing 365 kg per person in the State.
• Commercial waste generation was down by 12% on 2008 figures.
• An estimated 19% of occupied houses do not avail of, or are not offered, a collection service.
• A 2-bin service (residuals bin and dry recyclables bin) was provided to 96% of serviced households (up from 95% in 2008), and a 3-bin service (residuals, dry recyclables and organics bins) was provided to 24% of serviced households (up from 21% in 2008).
• While the quantity of organic waste collected from household kerbsides grew by 65% in 2009, eleven of thirty-four local authority functional areas didn’t offer a 3-bin service (i.e. including an organics bin) to householders in 2009 (down from sixteen in 2008).
• The quantity of biodegradable municipal waste disposed of at landfill decreased by 11% from 2008. Ireland is on track to meet the EU Landfill Directive 2010 diversion target for biodegradable municipal waste.

Producer responsibility initiative waste streams:

• A recovery rate of 70% has been achieved for packaging waste, exceeding the EU target of 60% due in 2011.
• Nearly 9 kg per person of household waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) was collected for recovery, which exceeds the 4 kg per person EU target.
• For end of life vehicles, a reuse/recovery rate of 82% and a reuse/recycling rate of 76% was achieved against 2006 targets of 85% and 80% respectively.

Construction and demolition waste:

• There was a 62% decrease in the reported quantity of construction & demolition waste collected in 2009, compared to 2008.

Hazardous waste:

• The reported quantity of hazardous waste managed in Ireland in 2009 decreased by 9% since 2008. Hazardous waste originated primarily from pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
  

Waste infrastructure:

• A total of 29 active landfills accepted municipal waste for disposal. At current fill rates, 16 of the existing municipal solid waste landfills will use up their consented capacity within 3 years.
• Local authorities reported 107 civic amenity sites and 1,962 bring banks in operation in 2009, compared to 96 and 1,989 respectively in 2008.
• In 2009, 22 facilities reported accepting municipal organic wastes for composting, two sites operated Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) in small or experimental volumes and four mechanical processing plants produced Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from municipal residual wastes.
• In 2009, Lagan Cement commenced using Solid Recovered Fuel (fuel derived from waste) at their plant as an alternative to fossil fuel.

While Ireland is well advanced concerning achievement of its obligations in relation to a range of EU waste directives, considerable effort will be required to meet the 2013 and 2016 Landfill Directive targets in relation to diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. The report urges the further roll-out of source-segregated collections, recovery of organic waste and development of infrastructure for the pre-treatment of municipal waste prior to disposal.

The economic downturn is having a marked influence on waste generation. The report urges that we focus on resource efficiency and waste prevention, to ensure that when economic growth does return, it is not accompanied by a surge in waste generation. The EPA’s National Waste Prevention Programme is developing waste prevention and resource efficiency capacity in a number of sectors (hospitality, retail, household, hospitals) to focus on breaking the link between economic growth and waste. Such actions can assist everyone, households and businesses alike, to improve resource efficiency and significantly cut costs.

Air Quality Report 2009

The EPA published the report Air Quality in Ireland 2009 – Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality in November.  This annual report shows levels of air pollutants in ambient air.  Results in the report were based on monitoring data from 28 stations, producing hourly or daily data as required by the EU Directives on Air Quality.  The pollutants measured were:

• Nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen
• Ozone
• Sulphur dioxide
• Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)
• Lead, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and mercury
• Carbon monoxide
• Benzene
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

In 2009, air quality in Ireland was generally of a high standard across the country due to prevailing Atlantic airflows, relatively few large cities and the lack of widespread heavy industries. However, levels of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide remain of concern.

Traffic is the primary source of nitrogen dioxide and is also one of the main sources of particulate matter. Despite cleaner vehicle emissions technology decreasing the impact of individual vehicles, there has been an increase in the number of vehicles which has offset any benefit in air quality. Levels of nitrogen dioxide are high in Dublin and Cork city centres and, in 2009, exceeded the 2010 limit value at one monitoring station in Dublin. The reason for this has not been determined, but is unlikely to be due to a significant increase in emissions. The four Dublin local authorities must prepare an air quality management plan to address this exceedance.

Domestic solid fuel use is the other main source of particulate matter in air in Ireland, and particularly impacts air quality in areas where the sale of bituminous coal is permitted. As a result, levels of particulate matter in smaller towns are similar or worse than those in cities. As such, it is important to note the impact that the choice in domestic heating fuel can have on the environment and air quality.

Ozone levels, which in Ireland are highly influenced by transboundary sources, were low in comparison to mainland Europe. Average concentrations in Ireland are generally below the thresholds for effects on human health and vegetation - set down in the CAFE Directive. Ozone concentrations recorded in 2009 were lower than in 2008. This decrease is most likely due to meteorological conditions that existed for the year, particularly during the summer months. Stable anticyclones over Ireland with warm sunny weather are more likely to produce higher levels of ozone, something which the summer of 2009 lacked.
The 2009 report contained, for the first time, results from the monitoring of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in ambient air. Levels of these compounds were found to be below their target values. The other parameters measured, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene and heavy metals were all at levels below their limit values.

Air quality monitoring sites are located throughout the country with a larger number located in bigger towns and cities than in less densely populated areas. Local authorities operated the monitoring networks in Dublin and Cork cities while the EPA operates the monitors in the rest of the country (with exceptions) and operated mobile monitoring stations. New monitoring locations in 2009 included Ringsend and Rosemount in Dublin and Newbridge in County Kildare.

Real-time air quality information is available on the EPA website.