Written Answers - Waste Management.
John Gormley
Ceist:
284
Mr. Gormley
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
if he will publish an updated version of Cleaner Manufacturing Technologies in Ireland published in 1993; if he is concerned about the problems associated with industrial and commercial waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18842/99]
"Cleaner Manufacturing Technologies in Ireland" was issued in 1993 as a discussion document and I have no proposals at this time to commission or publish further such material.
There have been significant developments in the area of cleaner production since 1993, arising from the work of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Technology Centre – Cork Institute of Technology and Cleaner Production Promotion Unit – UCC – in Cork, and Enterprise Ireland. Waste management legis lation and policy have also substantially advanced in the intervening period.
The IPC licensing system operated by the EPA provides for progressive improvement in the environmental performance of licensable activities, and has to date resulted in the prevention of significant quantities of hazardous and other wastes. All IPC licensees are required to establish and maintain an environmental management system (EMS), assessing all operations and reviewing all practicable options for the use of cleaner technology, cleaner production and the minimisation of waste.
Environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 and EMAS have been developed as tools to assist industry in managing its environmental affairs and provide a fully structured approach to controlling and improving environmental aspects of a company's operations, including production processes. The National Accreditation Board (the competent body for EMAS) and the EPA have produced a guidance document setting out a coherent approach to the auditing requirements of IPC licensing and EMAS, so that both can be addressed in a single combined audit.
Earlier this year the EPA presented the results of 14 cleaner production projects which had been supported under an EU co-funded cleaner production pilot demonstration programme. Information on the outcome of this programme was distributed to over 800 companies in the relevant production sectors.
Enterprise Ireland provides grant assistance towards the development and implementation of waste minimisation audits, and for research on the development of environmentally superior products.
Under the Waste Management Act, 1996 local authorities are required to make waste management plans in respect of their functional areas, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to make a national hazardous waste management plan. Reflecting the waste hierarchy, the statutory objective of these plans is to; prevent or minimise the production and harmful nature of waste; encourage and support the recovery of waste, and ensure that such waste as cannot be prevented or recovered is safely disposed of. Local authorities generally are well advanced in the development and adoption of waste management plans, in most cases on a regional basis.
The EPA recently published a proposed national hazardous waste management plan for public consultation over a two-month period. The cornerstone of the proposed plan is hazardous waste prevention and to this end the adoption of an ambitious hazardous waste prevention programme is recommended.
