Residents of Skibbereen fear the industrial facility would foul their air and water while adding to ocean plastic pollution. The plant is part of a global plastic factory-building boom driven by cheap natural gas.
A wave of governments has moved to ban single-use plastics, actions that reflect a growing awareness of the ocean plastic pollution crisis.
But residents fighting a proposed plastic factory in Ireland say governments should also take a harder look at pollution coming from facilities that manufacture plastic and that are a source of marine litter.