Air Pollution

Louth County Council has monitoring and enforcement responsibilities and powers under a range of Air Quality legislation, including:

• The Air Pollution Act 1987 (Solid Fuels) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 529 of 2022)
• The Waste Management (Prohibition of Waste Disposal by Burning) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 286 of 2009)
• The European Union (Paints, Varnishes, Vehicles Refinishing Products and Activities) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 564 of 2012)
• The European Union (Installation and Activities Using Organic Solvents) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 565 of 2012)
• The Air Pollution Act 1987 (Petroleum Vapour Emissions) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No 375 of 1997)
• The Air Pollution Act 1987

If you wish to make a complaint about air pollution, please contact the Environment Section Louth County Council (042)9353130.

Links

Air Quality Video

Air monitoring in Dundalk and Drogheda

National Ambient Air Quality Control

Air quality monitoring in Ireland is led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the national Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programmes (AAMP). Real-time and historic data from all monitoring stations across the State is available at all times at www.airquality.ie.

In addition, the EPA operates and Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH), which runs on a scale from 1 (Good) to 10 (Very Poor). The latest AQIH for all monitoring stations is also available at all times at www.airquality.ie.

NEW SOLID FUELS REGULATION 2022

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, signed the New Solid Fuel Regulations into Irish Law and they came into effect on the 31st of October 2022. The Air Pollution Act 1987 (Solid Fuel) Regulations 2022 aims to build upon previous efforts to improve Air Quality across Ireland and to reduce premature deaths and illnesses arising from air pollution. The new regulations are being introduced across a range of fuel types to ensure that the most polluting solid fuels will no longer be available for sale on the Irish market.

The primary focus of the draft regulations is on the large-scale, commercial sale of smoky fuels, including smoky coal, turf and wet wood. These fuels are proven to be a major contributor to air pollution in Ireland.

Under the regulations the following new health standards apply for solid fuels:

• Coal products and manufactured solid fuels must have a smoke emission rate of less than 10g/hour.
• Manufactured part biomass products must have a smoke emission rate of less than 5g/hr.
• Coal products and manufactured solid fuels, including manufactured part biomass products, must have a sulphur content of less than 2% by weight on a dry ash-free basis.
• Fuels products which are 100% biomass products (including wood products and wood logs) supplied in units of two cubic metres or less, must have a moisture content of less that 25%.
• Wet wood sold over these volumes will be required to come with instructions for the purchaser on how to appropriately dry the wood i.e. the need to store and season wet wood until it is sufficiently dried.
• It is not possible to sell turf via retail, online or other media, in public houses or other public places.

Compliance Inspections shall be carried out by Louth County Council Enforcement Officers, particularly in respect of retailers, coal merchants and coal delivery trucks. This will include Vehicle Checkpoints with An Garda Siochana throughout the county to ensure only Approved Solid Fuels are being sold within the county.

The Regulations also place certain obligations on producers, importers and retailers of solid fuels.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has produced and regularly updates dedicated FAQs for the following sectors:

• Householders
• Producers and importers of firewood
• Producers and importers of other solid fuels
• Retailers
• Couriers & Haulage companies
• Media companies.

These may be found at www.gov.ie/cleanair

LINKS

Air Quality Video

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us

Environment Section
Louth County Council 
(042 9353130)
e-mail: info@louthcoco.ie

Solvents

European Union (Installations and Activities using Organic Solvents) Regulations 2012. (SI 565 of 2012)

These regulations control VOC emissions from various business sectors listed in the above regulations. The relevant business sectors are listed in schedule 1 and their corresponding thresholds are listed in schedule 2 of the above regulations There is no threshold for dry cleaning therefore the regulations apply all cases.

If your business is a dry cleaner or if it exceeds the relevant thresholds listed in schedule 2 then an approved assessor must carry out an inspection. The inspection report along with €70 or €50 (€70 for late submissions and first time applicants) must then be submitted to the Local Authority. The local Authority will then issue a certificate of compliance. The Local authority can issue a certificate of compliance for a period of not more than three years, however the length of time for a certificate of compliance is at the discretion of the Local Authority.

Also please note that if your business falls within these regulations you must also supply the Local Authority with an annual self assessment report see below. This report must commence from January 2014 to Jan 2015 and every year thereafter. The Local Authority will require this annual report in order to assess compliance with the above regulations.

Annual Report Template (MS Word Format)

Annual Report Template (PDF)

Approved Assessors

The EPA has set up a panel of approved assessors for the purposes of carrying out inspections under the regulations.  The details of the panel of Approved Assessors for the above regulations are as follows:

Approved Assessor Details for DECO and Solvent inspections

Email: bes.aa@dnv.com

Phone 01 565 4730

Block 71, The Plaza, Park West, Unit 3D, Core C, Dublin 12, D12 F9TN

Vehicle Refinishers:

 European Union (Paints, Varnishes, Vehicle Refinishing Products and Activities) Regulations 2012 (SI 564 of 2012)

These regulations make it illegal for any uncertified operator to carry out vehicle refinishing for which a certificate of compliance is required under these Regulations. If you carry out vehicle refinishing then an approved assessor must carry out an inspection of your premises. The inspection report along with €70 or €50 (€70 for late submissions and first time applicants) must then be submitted to the Local Authority. The local Authority will then issue a certificate of compliance. The Local authority can issue a certificate of compliance for a period of up to three years, however the length of time for a certificate of compliance is at the discretion of the Local Authority.

Vehicle Refinishers - What you need to know

Vehicle Refinishers - What you need to know - Decorative Paints

Guidance Documents

Vehicle-Refinishing-Info-Leaflet.pdf (size 845.1 KB)

Smart-Garage-Guide-2022.pdf (size 9.3 MB)

Approved Assessors

The EPA has set up a panel of approved assessors for the purposes of carrying out inspections under the regulations.  The details of the panel of Approved Assessors for the above regulations are as follows:

Approved Assessor Details for DECO and Solvent inspections

Email: bes.aa@dnv.com

Phone 01 565 4730

Block 71, The Plaza, Park West, Unit 3D, Core C, Dublin 12, D12 F9TN

The following is a list of spray painters in Co Louth. Please note that following listed facilities registration date may vary from time to time. There may also be new facilities that are not on the list. Should you have any queries about a vehicle refinisher that is not listed or if you wish to check the current registration status of any of the following spray painters listed please contact the Environment Section, Louth County Council (042) 9335457.

Links:

Further information on Vehicle Refinishers and Solvents can be found at the following http://www.epa.ie/air/airenforcement/solvents/

Petrol Stations:

The Air Pollution Act, 1987 (Petroleum Vapour Emissions) Regulations, 1997 (S.I. No. 375 of 1997)

The above regulations introduce controls on petroleum vapour emissions resulting from the storage and distribution of petrol which is intended for use as fuel for motor vehicles.

Service Station owner/operators are obliged to ensure that their facility is designed and operated in accordance of the third Schedule of these Regulations.

The third schedule of SI 375 of 1997 outlines the requirements for loading and storage at terminals and service stations where the intermediate storage of vapours is carried out.

Under the above regulations all petrol station owners are required to engage the services of a independent approved assessor to carry out an assessment of the Vapour Recovery system at the service station. Following completion of the assessment, the report along with €63.50 is forwarded to the Local Authority. A certificate in accordance with section 13(1) of the Petroleum Vapour Emissions Regulations, 1997 (S.I. No. 375 of 1997) is then issued to the service station owner/manager for a period of 3 years.

Independent Approved Assessors:

The following have been appointed by Louth County Council as approved assessors in accordance with section 6 (1) of the above regulations for Co Louth.

 For details on any of the above requirements please contact the Environment Section Louth County Council at (042) 9353130.