John Bruton
Question:159 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his plans to accept the recommendation of the National Competitiveness Council regarding waste management. [5111/02]
Written Answers. - Waste Management.
John Bruton
Question:174 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his plans to establish a national waste management agency, as recommended by the National Competitiveness Council [5156/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 174 together.
I assume the questions refer to the Forfás report, Key Waste Management Issues in Ireland, which was published in December 2001.
I have publicly welcomed the publication of this Forfás report as providing a constructive input to the debate on waste management. The report recognises the progress that has been made to date and some of its recommendations are already being pursued. Other recommendations of the report, including the issues referred to in the questions, are at present being addressed.
John Bruton
Question:160 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason Ireland failed to achieve the target of 25% recycling by July 2001 set under the EU Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EEC; and if the target of between 50% and 65% recycling by 2005 is likely to be achieved. [5112/02]
Under the provisions of Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, Ireland is required to recover a minimum 25% of packaging waste by 2001. Ireland is further required to recover 50-65% of packaging waste by 2005, and also to recycle 25-45% of such waste.
The EPA has responsibility for the compilation of national waste statistics. In accordance with Commission Decision 97/138/EC, pursuant to Council Directive 94/62/EC, the EPA is required to submit annual packaging waste returns to the European Commission within 18 months of the end of the relevant year. The return in respect of 2001 is not likely to be completed until early 2003. However, Repak – the company established by industry to meet Ireland's packaging waste recovery targets – has indicated that it has recovered at least 25% of packaging waste in 2001.
The 2005 recovery and recycling targets set for Ireland in the directive are challenging. However, I am confident these targets can be met in light of a number of initiatives:
The National Development Plan 2000-2006 anticipates some €825 million capital investment in the development of waste management infrastructure, much of this through public private partnerships. Of this, some €127 million in Exchequer-EU funding will be provided to support the capital cost of waste recovery infrastructure under the local and regional waste management plans. Details of this waste infrastructure capital grants scheme will be announced very shortly.
In addition, revenue generated by the forthcoming environmental levy on plastic shopping bags and the proposed landfill levy will accrue to a dedicated central fund – the Environment Fund – for use in support of support of a range of environmental initiatives including waste recycling.
A task force, comprising representatives of my Department and relevant stakeholders, is currently reviewing the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations 1997. Although the task force has not yet concluded its deliberations, the provisions of the regulations will be strengthened to facilitate increased recovery of packaging waste.
A policy statement on preventing and recycling waste will also be published very shortly. This will address in detail the factors and practical considerations which are relevant to the achievement of an improved national recycling performance.
In effect, the necessary arrangements to underpin a significant increase in national recycling performance – including in respect of packaging waste – are currently being put in place. Having regard to the foregoing, I am confident that the 2005 recovery and recycling targets set for Ireland in Council Directive 94/62/EC will be achieved.
John Bruton
Question:161 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his plans to give assistance to households to adopt individualised or localised systems of composting and anaerobic digestions of organic domestic refuse. [5113/02]
John Bruton
Question:162 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the progress made to date towards the targets set by him in October 1998 of a 50% diversion of household waste away from landfill; a 65% reduction in biodegradable waste consigned to landfill; a recycling of 35% of municipal waste; an 80% reduction in methane emissions from landfill; and the percentages achieved by 2001 in respect of each percentage. [5114/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 162 together.
As set out in the 1998 policy statement, Changing our Ways, the Government is committed to a major reduction in reliance on landfill and to the implementation of an integrated waste management approach which will provide the improved infrastructure to deliver our ambitious national recovery and recycling targets over a fifteen year period.
Having regard to these targets, the local and regional waste management plans, which are now being implemented following the enactment of the Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001 incorporate proposals for: household segregation and separate collection of organic waste and dry recyclables in urban areas; a range of centralised composting and other biological treatment facilities; support for home composting of food and garden waste, especially in rural areas; an extended network of "bring" facilities in rural areas, typically with a target density of one facility per 500 population, and an increased network of civic amenity sites and waste transfer stations.
Some local authorities have commenced their own home composting initiatives, providing composting bins, wormeries and other necessary home composting equipment to households in their areas, at highly subsidised rates to the householder.
My Department will shortly announce details of a capital grants scheme which will provide assistance towards the provision of materials recovery and biological treatment facilities, including centralised composting facilities as called for in the local authorities waste management plans. Support from the Environment Fund, funded by the plastic bag and landfill levies, may also be available for suitable projects. Direct subvention of householders by my Department is not however envisaged.
Progress towards meeting the targets set out in Changing our Ways will be reported by the EPA which is responsible for the provision of statistics on waste management generally. The national waste database report for 1998, which was published by the EPA in March, 2000 is the most up-to-date report available. The report, which is updated on a 3 yearly basis, provides detailed statistics on waste streams in Ireland including details on the recovery of waste. A copy of the report is available in the Oireachtas Library. The national waste database report for 2001 is currently being prepared by the EPA.
John Bruton
Question:163 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his policy on the dumping of construction waste on good agricultural land. [5116/02]
The 1998 policy statement on waste management – Changing our Ways – which has as its main aim a radical reduction in national reliance on landfill, recognised that the construction industry has the primary responsibility to ensure the environmentally sound management of C&D waste. Changing our Ways challenged the construction industry to treat C&D waste as a resource, and to take practical steps to achieve the recycling of at least 50% of such waste within five years, and at least 85% over a 15-year period. The industry was invited to devise and implement a coherent programme of voluntary measures, involving effective least-cost solutions, to meet these national targets.
In response to the targets set in Changing our Ways, a dedicated task force was established by the Forum for the Construction Industry to co-ordinate the development of a voluntary industry-wide programme to meet the proposed recovery targets. The task force concluded its deliberations and submitted its report, incorporating a comprehensive list of recommendations, last year. I have responded to the forum welcoming the broad thrust of the task force's recommendations. I have also requested the forum to take urgent steps to put in place the necessary structures and arrangements to deliver immediate and substantial increases in C&D recycling rates by the industry so as to facilitate the achievement of the recycling targets set in Changing our Ways.
These policies and measures are directed at a significant reduction in the use of landfill: this will permit both an improvement in environmental quality and more beneficial uses of land.