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Waste Management.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 October 2006

Wednesday, 4 October 2006

Questions (73, 74, 75, 76)

John Perry

Question:

153 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he proposes to direct waste contractors that waste be transported by order to specific named waste facilities including incinerators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30980/06]

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Written answers

Section 34 of the Waste Management Act 1996 provides that any person other than a local authority who wishes to collect waste commercially must do so in accordance with a waste collection permit granted by the relevant local authority. A local authority can attach conditions to a waste collection permit including requirements in relation to the location to which waste may be delivered for recovery or disposal. My Department has no function in this regard.

I have recently published a consultation paper on the possible regulation of the waste sector. Submissions have been invited on whether there is a need for a regulator for the sector, on what model of regulator might be most appropriate and on what powers any such regulator should be given. Among the possible powers discussed in the paper is the power to determine waste movements. Submissions in response to the consultation paper are being taken until 6 October, and I will then consider what policy proposals to take forward.

Question No. 154 answered with QuestionNo. 129.
Questions Nos. 155 and 156 answered with Question No. 130.

Séamus Pattison

Question:

157 Mr. Pattison asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his goals, including timescales and volumes, in respect of waste reduction and waste prevention; his strategy in achieving these goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30890/06]

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Trevor Sargent

Question:

167 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he intends introducing legislation to reduce waste production in the current Dáil session. [31091/06]

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Bernard Allen

Question:

205 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he intends to take to tackle the increase in waste generation here, as highlighted in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environment in Focus 2006 report which shows a 64 per cent increase in municipal waste generation since 1995; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30938/06]

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I propose to take Questions Nos. 157, 167 and 205 together.

A coherent, integrated approach to waste management has been put in place through my Department's policy statements Changing Our Ways, Delivering Change, and Taking Stock and Moving Forward. The Government's approach is based on the internationally recognised waste management hierarchy of prevention/ minimisation, significantly increased levels of recycling, energy recovery and, finally, utilising landfill as the last resort for residual waste that cannot otherwise be recovered.

A key priority currently is the development and roll out of a National Waste Prevention Programme. A Core Prevention Team was established in 2004 in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and drive the Programme. The Core Prevention Team is in the process of developing baseline studies as part of the initial phase of the Programme. The initial budget for the National Waste Prevention Programme is €2m.

A key component of the waste management system in Ireland has been the development of producer responsibility initiatives. The longest-standing of these, in relation to packaging waste, has been very successful. Repak, the industry based body charged with responsibility for packaging waste recycling, is currently working on a six-year strategy that will be based on the principle of waste prevention and will identify initiatives aimed at promoting prevention and minimisation in the area of packaging. More recently, successful producer responsibility initiatives have also been introduced in relation to farm plastics and waste electrical and electronic equipment. I recently made regulations for a further producer responsibility initiative in relation to an EU Directive on end-of-life vehicles. These initiatives are based on the promotion of waste prevention and minimisation objectives. Work is also underway in developing producer responsibility initiatives for waste tyres and for newsprint.

Waste prevention and minimisation has also been actively promoted in the Race Against Waste campaign. The media campaign has focused on the prevention of waste and the need to reduce, reuse and recycle and aims to turn awareness on waste issues into action to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill. The campaign has also worked closely with Environmental Awareness Officers in all of the local authorities, who work locally with householders, schools, businesses and community groups. It has encouraged communities to minimise, recycle and compost their waste through the national Tidy Towns competition's Race Against Waste module.

In addition, waste prevention targets for biodegradable waste were recently set out in the National Strategy on Biodegradable Waste. The projections of biodegradable waste arising in future years in the Strategy are based on an expectation that the waste prevention initiatives outlined above will yield benefits in reducing the quantity of biodegradable municipal waste which would be generated in their absence. These targets are: 3% reduction factor in projected Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) generation each year from 2005 to 2007; 4% reduction factor in projected BMW generation in the period 2008 to 2010; 5% reduction factor in projected BMW generation from 2011 to 2013; and a 6% reduction factor in projected BMW generation in the period 2014 to 2016.

I have no immediate plans to introduce further legislation in this area. My Department is currently participating in discussions at EU level on a new Waste Framework Directive which will include provisions on waste prevention. It is likely that legislation will be required to transpose the new waste framework directive into Irish law following agreement being reached by Member States and its coming into effect.

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