Environment - Thurles Information

Bottles & Drink Cans Now Valuable, Thanks To Lidl.

Thurles.Info published, on October 12th last, details of how Lidl, the German International discount retail chain, intended to introduce reverse vending machines into their Thurles, Co. Tipperary retail outlet.
We are now happy to announce that the announcement has become a reality.

**Two reverse vending machines currently being installed in Lidl, situated on Slievenamon Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.**

We can now confirm that two reverse vending machines have been installed and are expected to be up and running shortly.

Customers will soon be able to deposit their empty plastic bottles and drink cans and in return receive voucher credits to spend in-store, with each bottle or can deposited, earning its owner, between 10 and 15 cent per item deposited.

Great to see that the wheel has once again, comes full circle, with the situation returning to what it was in the 1960s; which saw empties returned for cash deposits, helping to keep tidy our town and country roadside landscapes.

WARNING – Thurles Cyclists Beware.

Pictures hereunder currently show the present state of just a two meter (6.56ft) stretch of roadscape in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

State of roadscape currently on Friar Street in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, latter a town with two Dail Éireann politicians both currently in residence, who have their constituency offices less than 500 meters from the above.
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

The craters have developed over a period of 12 weeks, on Friar Street in the town, and can be easily located just east of Supervalu.

Cyclists in particular are warned to take great care to avoid these craters positioned close to the footpath. These craters measuring up to 15cm (6ins) deep are a particular hazard after dark, and presently force cyclists to quickly move out into often fast moving traffic, in an effort to avoid the cratered surface.

The current state of this particular streetscape, together with other areas of the town [e.g. Barry’s bridge, Kickham Street etc, etc], demonstrate a total lack of proper administration by Thurles Municipal District Council officials.

**Kickham Street, Thurles, pictured after a light rain shower.**
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

Perhaps, this would be an opportune time for Mr Jackie Cahill TD and Mr Michael Lowry TD to invite Minister for Transport, Mr Eamon Ryan TD to visit a now forgotten Thurles. Emphasize and ensure that he brings his bicycle and pedals around the town.
Other benefits would be that the latter TD’s could have their pictures taken, together with local Town Councillors.

EPA Launches A National Air Quality Forecast.

Sufferers of respiratory diseases and asthma please note.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched a national air quality forecast available on airquality.ie.
The forecast will provide maps showing the predicted daily air quality for up to three days -“Today”, “Tomorrow” and the “Day after Tomorrow”.
The air quality forecast is an important resource for everyone, but especially people who may be sensitive to poor air quality (e.g. those with asthma and heart conditions).
The air quality forecast will help people plan their activities to follow public health advice, such as reducing physical activity when air pollution levels could affect their health.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched a national air quality forecast to provide greater information to the public regarding expected air quality in Ireland for up to three days – “Today”, “Tomorrow” and the “Day after Tomorrow”.

Forecasts include daily Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH), Particulate Matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). PM, NO2 and O3 are the three main air pollutants impacting human health in Ireland. All pollutants mapped are presented on the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) scale (1 – 10).

Marking the launch of the forecast, Dr Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection & Environmental Monitoring, said: “Air pollution can seriously impact people’s health; the air quality forecast will provide an important health and air quality resource for everyone, and will be even more impactful for those of us who are particularly affected by poor air quality, including those suffering from respiratory disease and asthma. The forecast will also serve policy makers as a valuable tool for analysing air quality in Ireland.’’

There are concerning localised air quality issues in Ireland. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) from burning solid fuel and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from vehicle emissions are the main pollutants impacting on people’s health. This forecast will help people plan their activities in line with the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) recommendations, such as reducing physical activity when air pollution levels are predicted to increase. The forecast maps will be uploaded twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening.

The CEO of the Asthma Society of Ireland, Ms Eilís Ní Chathnia, welcomed the forecast launch: “The air quality forecast will be an important resource for our members and everyone with respiratory conditions. Ireland has the highest incidence rate of asthma in Europe with one in ten children and one in thirteen adults developing the condition – with 890,000 people likely to develop asthma in their lifetimes. The Asthma Society welcomes the opportunity to be associated with the launch of the forecast.’’

The forecast and further information on air quality and the Air Quality Index for Health are available on HERE.

The air quality forecast maps are produced by computer models which have been developed under the EU LIFE Emerald project. The models use Irish and European data such as air quality measurements, forecast weather and land cover data. The EPA has partnered on this with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Health Service Executive (HSE), VITO, a Belgian research institute, University College Cork (UCC) and the Asthma Society of Ireland.

EPA Online Portal Grants Full Access To Environmental Enforcement Information.

From today the EPA’s new LEAP Online portal enables easy access to environmental enforcement information providing full public access to our enforcement activities.
Through LEAP Online the public will be able to see information on site inspections, monitoring, incidents, non-compliances, complaint summaries and also compliance investigations into issues detected at EPA licensed sites.
LEAP Online will allow the public to learn about nearby licensed operations and how they are performing in their obligations to protect their local environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched the second phase of a major new Online service, the Licensing and Enforcement Access Portal or LEAP Online, following on from the release of Phase 1 in May of this year. Phase 1 provided access to Site Visit Reports, monitoring reports and responses by licensees to those reports, as well as monitoring returns, requests for information and approval. Today’s release delivers the further enforcement information, including details of incidents, non-compliances, complaint summaries and also compliance investigations into issues detected at licensed sites.

**Barry’s Bridge on River Suir, Thurles, Co. Tipperary**.

The LEAP Online portal is now complete and provides access to the full set of enforcement information describing the enforcement activities, actions and communications between the EPA and holders of EPA licences and permits. The information can be viewed on desktop, tablet and mobile phone.

Commenting on the launch of LEAP Online, Mr Darragh Page, EPA Programme Manager said:
“The EPA want the public to have full access to environmental enforcement activities. The detailed compliance and enforcement information we make available through the LEAP Online portal allows the public to learn about nearby licensed operations and how they are performing in their obligations to protect their local environment. It also enables operators themselves to communicate directly with their neighbours about their environmental performance as they conduct their business, including how they address compliance issues when they occur “.

Further information on the various categories of regulatory correspondence is available on the EPA website at Latest industrial and waste compliance information | Environmental Protection Agency (epa.ie)

Uisce Éireann Must Use Investment Plan To End Pollution Of Rivers & Coastal Waters.

Uisce Éireann must use its new investment plan to end pollution of our rivers and coastal waters from waste water.

Over half of Ireland’s waste water discharges are not meeting EU standards set to protect the environment.
Uisce Éireann has committed to eliminating raw sewage discharges by 2025 from the majority of the 26 towns and villages with no treatment.
Uisce Éireann still does not have clear plans to prevent pollution at some of the most significantly impacted water bodies, and it is vital these are resolved through its new investment plan.
Treatment plants must be operated and maintained properly to prevent impacts on the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report “Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2022”, released today, shows that Uisce Éireann has made progress in stopping discharges of raw sewage over the past year, with the connection of six villages to new treatment plants in 2022. However, waste water continues to harm the quality of many of Ireland’s rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters. While works to upgrade treatment plants and prevent pollution are progressing in some areas, Uisce Éireann’s delays in other areas are prolonging the risks to the environment and public health.

Launching the report, Dr Tom Ryan, EPA Director said: “While it is encouraging to see continued progress in stopping the unacceptable practice of discharging raw sewage into our environment, waste water remains a significant pressure on Ireland’s water ways and is adversely impacting water quality. The pace at which Uisce Éireann is delivering improvements needs to accelerate to prevent pollution and protect water quality”.

He added: “Uisce Éireann must take the opportunity of its new investment plan for 2025 to 2029 to deliver waste water infrastructure that meets the needs of our society and protects and improves our environment into the future. The investment plan must prioritise resources to prevent pollution in the priority areas highlighted by the EPA.”

Thirty years after Ireland was required to bring provisions into force to comply with EU treatment standards set to protect the environment, less than half (45%) of waste water is treated to these standards. This is expected to improve significantly to over 90% when the upgrade of Ireland’s largest treatment plant at Ringsend in Dublin is complete.

**River Suir, *‘Barry’s Bridge’*, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.**

Mr Noel Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said: “It is welcomed that Uisce Éireann is currently building infrastructure at large urban areas, including Ringsend and Arklow, which are designed to treat waste water to a high standard. However, poor management practices at upgraded plants, such as Skibbereen and Courtmacsherry, caused inadequately treated sewage to discharge into the environment. This is not acceptable as these plants have sufficient treatment capacity. Uisce Éireann must implement effective maintenance programmes for existing infrastructure and improve its operation and management of treatment plants to prevent such failures in future.”

The report is now available on the EPA Website HERE.

Hard Undenyable Facts:
It will take a multi-billion euro investment, and at least two decades, to bring all waste water treatment systems up to the standard needed to protect our environment and also provide for future needs. As all the problems cannot be fixed in the short term, Uisce Éireann must direct the resources that are available to the areas where they are needed most and will bring the greatest benefits. The EPA identifies the following as priority areas:

*26 towns and villages that were discharging raw sewage daily in mid-2023. New treatment plants were recently completed at two of these, Kerrykeel, Co. Donegal and Liscannor, Co. Clare.

*15 large towns and cities where waste water treatment failed to meet European Union standards set to protect the environment. These include the greater Dublin area, served by an overloaded plant at Ringsend that treats over 40 per cent of Ireland’s urban waste water.

*39 areas where waste water is adversely impacting the quality of rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters. Uisce Éireann is taking far too long to design and start delivering the improvements needed at many (28) of these areas.

*12 towns and villages where waste water treatment must improve to protect freshwater pearl mussels. Uisce Éireann’s failure to advance works at half of these areas is prolonging the risks to these endangered species.

*6 large towns and cities where collecting systems (sewers) must be upgraded to protect the environment and address the findings of a 2019 judgement from the Court of Justice of the European Union.

You can view the list of priority areas and the environmental issues at each area on the EPA website at the link HERE. This also shows when and how Uisce Éireann plans to resolve the priority issues at each area.