Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 February 2021
13. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the work his Department is undertaking to co-operate with local authorities in the roll-out of segregated waste bins by the local authorities in cities, towns and villages in each county; the work ongoing to reduce the waste going to landfill from local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7710/21]
View answerWhile waste management planning, including with regard to infrastructure provision such as on-street public bins, is the responsibility of local authorities under Part II of the Waste Management Act, 1996 (as amended), the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy contains a commitment to examine how segregated waste and recycling bins using uniform labelling could be provided on street, at public events and festivals. In this regard, Dublin City Council are currently conducting a pilot on the use of segregated on-street bins. When completed, this will provide valuable insights and help inform the ongoing engagement between my Department and the local authority sector on how best to deliver on this commitment nationally.
In addition, the Waste Action Plan contains a commitment to formalise the role of civic amenity sites and agree a standard list of waste streams to be accepted at such sites. In this regard the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices, with support from my Department, have recently published a National Review of Civic Amenity Sites, which is available online at http://www.southernwasteregion.ie/content/national-review-civic-amenity-sites. Discussions have commenced with the local authority sector on implementation of the report recommendations. This will allow civic amenity sites to play a greater role in our transition to a more circular economy through measures such as coordinated education and awareness programmes, greater use of reuse schemes, standardising a list of waste streams accepted at such sites and collective approaches to extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, and will assist in continuing to reduce the amount of waste disposed of to landfills.
