Cork Institute of Technology has been ordered to pay fines and expenses of almost €5,000 for breaches of the Waste Management Act, after bags which contained human blood used by medical students at the college turned up on the front lawn of a house in Cork.
Cork Institute of Technology pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Waste Management Act and said it took full responsibility for what it described as 'an error of judgement'.
Cork District Court was told that Cork County Council litter wardens were alerted after a number of blood bags were found on the front lawn of a house in Cork.
With the help of the Blood Transfusion Service, the council established that 11 bags of blood had been supplied to Cork Institute of Technology for use by its medical students.
However, facilities for disposing of the bags at the college had broken down and, it was alleged, an employee brought them home and tried to burn them in a 45-gallon drum.
But the bags were not fully incinerated and a dog dragged some of them onto the lawn where they were found.
Cork Institute of Technology said it has reviewed its procedures so that this could not happen again.
Judge David Riordan said there needed to be a deterrent and he ordered the college to pay €4,800 in fines, expenses and costs.
