Undeterred by the rain, some 300 protesters from the north Tipperary village of Rathcabbin, near Roscrea, marched on the Shannon Vermicomposting waste disposal facility yesterday afternoon.
The subject of other protests over the past year, the waste disposal plant at Coolross, two miles outside Rathcabbin, uses worms to process organic and domestic waste into compost.
There was a strong Garda presence and the protest passed without incident, the crowd dispersing after a letter of objection was handed in to the Shannon Vermicomposting director, Peter Ogg, who was unavailable for comment.
The demonstrators claim the operation causes a nauseating odour to emanate from the factory.
They say they are protesting against an extension of activities at the facility.
Rathcabbin Environmental Action Group spokeswoman Darina Kelly claimed that Mr Ogg is using his newly acquired 30-acre site, even though his waste permit limits the operation to within just five acres.
"This is a direct contravention of the Waste Management Act," she said.