My Department has engaged in extensive discussions with the construction industry in relation to construction and demolition (C&D) waste at a number of fora including the Construction Waste Resource Group and the cross-sectoral Waste Advisory Group. Arising from these discussions, the planning for, and management of, C&D waste has been identified as a priority area in Ireland's new national waste policy A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy. A number of other Member States have utilised the exemptions available under Article 24 of the Waste Framework Directive to manage the treatment of particular waste streams, including C&D waste. The new Waste Action Plan commits to reviewing how Article 24 exemptions are utilised in these other Member States with a view to informing how the exemption process can help manage certain waste streams to support resource efficiency and the transition to a more circular economy while also safeguarding human health and the environment.
In addition, the plan commits to establishing a working group to examine how Article 24 exemptions can encourage greater repair, reuse or recycling in appropriate waste streams, including reuse in the C&D sector. Finally, the plan specifically proposes the use of the exemption process to manage the on-site treatment of invasive alien plant species, including on C&D sites, as such an exemption would help mitigate environmental risks associated with transporting this material to off-site treatment facilities.
