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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 6 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 2

Written Answers. - Waste Management.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Question:

101 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the targets and timescale for the reduction of bio-degradable municipal waste going to landfill; the measures he intends to take to reach these targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26679/01]

Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste provides that, not later than July 2003, member states must prepare a national strategy for the reduction of biodegradable waste going to landfills. Progressive targets are set in the directive so that bio-degradable municipal waste quantities consigned to landfill must be reduced to 35% of the total amount, by weight, of this waste produced in 1995 by 2016.

These targets were anticipated in the 1998 policy statement Changing our Ways, which provided,inter alia, for a minimum national 65% reduction over fifteen years, in bio-degradable wastes consigned to landfill, and the development of composting and other feasible biological treat ment facilities capable of treating up to 300,000 tonnes of bio-degradable waste per annum.
These targets have also informed the development by local authorities of local and regional waste management plans, and pilot composting projects have already been put in place by a number of local authorities.
I am currently finalising a policy statement on preventing and recycling waste. This will address in detail a range of practical considerations relevant to the achievement of recycling policy objectives and targets, and will outline a variety of measures to be undertaken in support of better national performance in this area.
Question No. 102 answered with Question No. 77.

Enda Kenny

Question:

103 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the average tonnage of domestic refuse produced per household; the method of assessment of such production; if the average has increased compared to the average ten years ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26291/01]

The most recent statistical information on Irish waste arisings is provided in the EPA's national waste database report for 1998, a copy of which is in the Oireachtas Library.

This report estimates that 1.22 million tonnes of household waste was generated in 1998, compared to an equivalent figure of 1.32 million tonnes in 1995, the first year in respect of which the national waste database was compiled. Earlier data are unreliable. Data on waste arisings per household are not available in NWD reports.

In general, the EPA cautions that care must be taken in making comparisons between 1995 and 1998 waste data, as it can be difficult to determine the extent to which variations reflect real developments, or are a function of improved reporting and methodology.

In this instance, while there is an apparent reduction in the quantity of household waste arising, the 1998 report suggests that the 1998 figure is simply a more accurate reflection of the actual quantities arising as the difference between reported quantities collected and estimated quantities arising is considerably less for 1998 than for 1995.

The EPA's principal method of obtaining data on municipal waste, including household waste, for the 1998 report was through a questionnaire circulated to all local authorities, supported by information obtained from waste contractors and recycling organisations, and from waste composition surveys conducted by or on behalf of local authorities.

Question No. 104 answered with Question No. 86.
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