Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 October 2023
128. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what regulations exist for requiring apartment developments to provide green bins and ensure proper recycling facilitates are in place. [44475/23]
View answerWhilst recycling is not specifically referred to in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), development plans reflect the objectives of waste management plans applicable to their administrative area, which would generally include measures to promote recycling. In particular, section 10 of the Act requires all local authorities to include policies to support the provision, or facilitation of the provision of infrastructure including, inter alia, waste recovery and disposal facilities and any ancillary facilities or services in their development plans. This is in order to support sustainable development and the provision of services. In 2022 my Department published Development Plans – Guidelines for Planning Authorities. Section 6.3.4 of these guidelines outlines policy objectives that development plans can include to support the green circular economy.
With specific regard to apartments, my Department issued the updated Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2023) under section 28 of the Act. These Guidelines include a section (Section 4.8-4.9) on design considerations for the provision of refuse storage facilities and note the following:
The following general design considerations should be taken into account in the provision of refuse storage facilities:
• Sufficient communal storage area to satisfy the three-bin system for the collection of mixed dry recyclables, organic waste and residual waste.
• In larger apartment schemes, consideration should also be given to the provision of separate collection facilities for other recyclables such as glass and plastics
Under planning legislation, the decision as to whether to grant permission on a planning application, with or without conditions, is a matter for the relevant planning authority or the Board on appeal or in the case of a strategic housing development.
In making decisions on a planning application, a planning authority, or the Board as appropriate, must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, having regard to the provisions of the development plan, any submissions or observations received from the public and the statutory consultees, and any relevant Ministerial or Government policies, including any guidelines issued by my Department.
