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Odour and Noise Complaints accounted for 90 per cent of all complaints to the EPA in 2023

Date released: March 26, 2024

  • The EPA carried out over 1,200 inspections at 535 licensed industrial and waste facilities. 91 per cent of these were unannounced.
  • The Licence & Enforcement Access Portal (LEAP) launched in 2023 giving the public enhanced access to environmental information. 
  • The EPA identified 11 sites as National Priority Sites for enforcement in 2023.  Most were in the food and drink sector (five sites) and waste sector (three sites).  
  • Enforcement activities by the EPA have resulted in a decrease in complaints, down 36 per cent from 2021. Odour and Noise Complaints accounted for 90 per cent of all complaints received by the EPA in 2023.
  • 22 prosecutions were concluded in 2023 resulting in fines of €137,750 and costs of €245,047 being imposed.
  • 2023 saw the first successful District Court Prosecution for the extraction of peat without a licence from the EPA.

27th March 2024: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Summary 2023. The report gives details of enforcement activities across the 889 licensed facilities in 2023. 

In 2023, the EPA carried out over 1,200 inspections at 535 licensed industrial and waste facilities. Of these, 91 per cent were unannounced. Enforcement action by the EPA has resulted in a decrease in complaints to the EPA about these sites, down 36 per cent from 2021 from 1490 to 960. Odour and Noise complaints remained the most common in 2023, accounting for 90 per cent of all complaints received. 

Commenting on the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said:

“The increased focus on the improvement of odour and noise management at EPA licensed sites has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of complaints received. The EPA will maintain a focus on nuisance arising from licensed sites and will take enforcement action, where appropriate.

The launch of the Licence & Enforcement Access Portal (LEAP) has transformed the way in which the public can access environmental information concerning licensed sites with already almost 100,000 page views in 2023.

2023 saw the first successful District Court Prosecution for the extraction of peat without a licence from the EPA, and 22 prosecutions were completed last year.”

The EPAs National Priority Sites List is another important tool assisting the EPA in targeting its enforcement effort at the licensed operators with the poorest environmental performance. This helps drive improvements in environmental compliance.  Since its launch in 2017, fifty sites have been identified as National Priority Sites, with 11 sites on the list in 2023. These were mostly in the food and drink sector (5 sites) and waste sector (3 sites).  

Industrial and waste compliance information and further details of the National Priority Sites scoring system and the list of sites can be found online. 

Enforcement information on all sites can be found on the Licence & Enforcement Access Portal (LEAP) LEAP Online (epa.ie)

Complaints about licensed sites can be made on-line or by contacting the EPA at 053-9160600.

Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie