DONEGAL County Council
is investigating alleged illegal backyard burning in
the Moville and Greencastle area.
Cllr Marian McDonald said she had been inundated
with complaints since Christmas about noxious smells
filling the air on different nights of the week.
"People who are burning illegally are waiting until
after dark to do it. It would seem that all sorts of
waste is being burned," said Cllr McDonald. She said
members of the public had complained to her of
smells varying from burning foodstuffs to burning
plastics and synthetics. Cllr McDonald said she did
not know how many parties were involved nor the
exact locations.
"The Council has asked me if I know who is
responsible and so far nobody seems to know, but the
smells seem to be coming from the three-mile radius
between Moville and Greencastle,” she said.
The smells are particularly noticeable on still
rather than blustery evenings and are “choking”
people out for walks with their children and pets,
she added.
She said the Water and Environment section of the
local authority were now investigating the matter.
But many Inishowen householders have expressed their
frustration at the reduction in recycling services
in Carndonagh. Environmentalists say recycling
should be free and they fear illegal backyard
burning will only increase unless people are given
reasonable alternatives.
Nevertheless, backyard burning is an offence under
the Air Pollution and the Waste Management Acts.
Those caught can be prosecuted and punished by the
courts.
Meanwhile, according to the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), backyard burning releases toxic
pollutants into the air, without treatment or
filter, and causes damage to health and the
environment.
"It is important for the public to remember that
there is a long list of pollutants that can
potentially be generated by backyard burning
regardless of whether the waste is burned in piles
in the back of the garden, in barrels or in open
pits," the EPA says.
The following all constitutes backyard burning:
- Burning waste in a barrel
- Burning waste in your yard
- Burning waste in a purchased ‘home incinerator’
- Burning commercial waste on a business premises
- Burning farmyard waste
- Burning waste on a building site |
