I welcome Mr. Aengus Breathnach, Ms Sinéad Ní Mhainnín and Mr. Frank Gilmore of Galway County Council. I draw the attention of witnesses to the fact that members of the committee have absolute privilege but that the same privilege does not apply to witnesses appearing before the committee. Members are also reminded of the long-standing practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.
Recycling of Household Waste: Presentation.
Mr. Frank Gilmore
I will introduce my colleagues. Ms Sinéad Ní Mhainnín is the environmental awareness officer with Galway County Council, while Mr. Aengus Breathnach is a senior executive engineer in the environmental section. I thank the committee for giving us the opportunity to appear before it. Ms Ní Mhainnín will shortly make a presentation which will outline the experience of Galway County Council in dealing with household waste and its progress in achieving recycling targets. We will answer any questions the committee has after the presentation.
Ms Sinéad Ní Mhainnín
I propose to give a brief overview of the way waste is managed in Galway county. I will give a brief summary of the county and then a history of our experience of waste management. I will discuss the collection and recycling of waste and bring to the committee's attention a pilot scheme initiated in 2002 in Ballinasloe. I will also raise issues concerning rural collection.
Galway is the second largest county in Ireland with a population of more than 143,000. It is a predominantly rural county with 76% of people living in rural areas or towns and villages with populations of fewer than 500 people. We host the largest Gaeltacht population in the country with 37% of the national population and there are four inhabited islands off our coastline.
Prior to a proper waste management plan we suffered from a waste crisis. In 1998, for example, we generated almost 28,000 tonnes of waste per annum and encountered major problems with decreasing landfill capacity, low recycling rates and the beginnings of a sharp increase in landfill charges. We addressed those issues by adopting the 1999-2004 regional waste management plan for the Connacht region, setting out clear targets that had to be met. The target for recycling was 48%, for energy recovery 33% and for residual waste disposal 19%. From the early 1990s Galway County Council was not a waste collection authority as the collection of waste had been privatised.
As can be seen from the last slide on the second page of the submission, there were ten permitted waste contractors operating in the county in 1999. There are currently six, primarily due to consolidation in some smaller companies.
I will discuss waste collection with regard to recycling. The target set for us in the plan was 48%. In order to achieve this target, we set about delivering on a number of objectives outlined in the original plan. The first of these was the identification and development of a waste awareness programme. The programme in County Galway took a three-pronged approach, taking in householders, the business and commercial sector and schools. We identified the messages, the targets and what was to be delivered to each of these.
Second, we wished to ensure private sector investment continued. This was achieved by encouraging private waste collection companies to develop and expand their services by purchasing additional trucks and bins, and in some cases developing picking stations, etc. Third, we considered planning for waste, particularly waste infrastructure. This related specifically to recycling centres and bring banks. The purpose behind this planning was to increase the recycling rate in the county. This was achieved by providing additional bring banks and recycling centres.
To give an indication of progress, in 1999 we had 20 bring banks located throughout the county. These locations would accept glass and beverage cans from the domestic sector. This has improved to 94 bring banks currently available. In addition, a number of recycling centres have been developed. We currently have centres operating in Tuam, Ballinasloe and Clifden. We propose to have two more centres, in Loughrea and south Connemara, operating in the near future. These centres are an extension of the bring bank system whereby we allow members of the public to bring items such as household hazardous waste, waste electrical and electronic items or scrap metal.
The final objective was liaising with the waste contractors to extend the segregated waste collection system in the county. This relates to the final slide on the third page, which concerns public awareness and segregated waste collection. Our objective in this was to introduce a new waste collection service to the county in conjunction with the waste contractors. In order for this to be achieved successfully we had to undertake a large public awareness campaign. The campaign consisted of over 40 public meetings held in conjunction with local communities and local development councils; distribution of a large number of newsletters, information leaflets, etc.; delivery of information through the local media, such as radio and newspapers; and a supermarket campaign in the county.
A new system of waste collection was to be introduced at the time. We gave the public two options. The first was a simple two-bin system, with one bin for dry recyclable waste and another for landfill waste. Each bin was to be collected on alternating weeks. The second system was a simple bag system, with two types of bags for dry recyclable waste, segregating dry recyclables further, and another bag for landfill waste. The systems were very simple.
In addition to the benefits of waste diversion through this service, it allowed us in Galway County Council to work very closely with waste collectors to develop a consistency between all the collectors in the county to ensure that the same level of service was being provided. This allowed us to implement waste segregation before it was a condition of many of the waste collection permits. This was a great achievement in the county.
Other initiatives helped introduce waste segregation in the county. A Chemcar, a mobile unit that collects household hazardous waste, is run on an annual basis. It collects items such as batteries, paint cans, pesticide containers, etc., from various areas throughout the county, and primarily from areas that would be a relatively long distance from recycling centres. We have an excellent green schools campaign running throughout the county, and some 82 schools have "green flags" awarded to them. We are continuously promoting home composting and worm composting through seminars, public meetings workshops, etc. We have a comprehensive recycling scheme on the Aran Islands run by Timpeallacht na nOileáin. We work with the Race Against Waste campaign and Repak, both of whom run national campaigns relating to waste reduction and recycling. We have an initiative in the Ballinasloe area entitled the Ballinasloe composting and recycling scheme.
All of these initiatives have in combination helped us create waste awareness in Galway and successfully implement waste segregation in the county, which was a primary objective in starting out. I will give an overview of how the Ballinasloe composting and recycling scheme was undertaken. The scheme was based on 1,500 households and involved moving from a one-bin system to a two-bin and clear bag system. We looked to divert 50% of waste generated by households in the Ballinasloe area away from landfill. We succeeded in doing so by getting households to undertake the waste segregation at source.
In addition to this success, compost was made in Ballinasloe from organic waste collected in the area. This compost is suitable for use as a fertiliser or a surface mulch. The photographs in the presentation show matured compost on a slab in Ballinasloe and compost used as a mulch on flower beds in the Ballinasloe are. Another action undertaken as part of the scheme was the operation of a give-back to the community. We gave the public the opportunity to take compost from the site free of charge for their own use. This enhanced and further promoted the project.
I will discuss some of the issues we have in the county that relate primarily to waste collection in rural areas. Galway is predominantly a rural county. Some of the issues may be caused by having access to only one landfill site in the east of the county. Waste generated in the Clifden area, for example, will therefore have to travel over 100 miles to get to a landfill site. This is a significant issue.
A large number of remote areas in the west of the county have a low number of households. This can sometimes make collection uneconomical for the service providers in the area. Some waste collectors like to cherrypick their routes, being more interested in routes with high densities and easy access. There is also a poor road infrastructure in some parts of the county. The centre slide on the sixth page of the presentation shows one of the problems that waste contractors come up against, where the bottom of a truck can scrape along the road. This creates problems for service providers.
I now turn to consider some proposed solutions for these problems. Liaising with community groups could help, and we do this often through the waste management programme in Galway County Council. In some instances we are introducing larger communal bins with a capacity of 1,100 litres for areas that have access difficulties. Another option is the introduction of smaller feeder trucks in conjunction with waste contractors to service areas with access difficulties. In the county we try as much as possible to find local solutions for local problems through working with the local communities in specific areas. Collecting at source is the most efficient method of waste collection. Although this is a great benefit in itself for segregated waste collection, it also aids the prevention of litter and waste being created on the roadside.
We wish to see a bin collection service introduced in the county that will cover the whole county, irrespective of where people are located. We would like to see the further introduction of the brown bin to divert the organic compound of waste from landfill. We would also like to move the dry recyclable collection a step further and remove the low grade plastics from landfill, for example, cellophane wrap that is discarded but which is suitable for recycling.
Galway County Council continues to liaise with waste contractors and local communities in the county to ensure the needs of the communities are met and that our environment is protected and enhanced. This is in accordance with the objectives of the council's corporate policy.
How do the households that do not have a bin collection service dispose of their waste? I am not familiar with how they do this.
Mr. Aengus Breathnach
Currently, they may avail of the bag service. They may purchase bags at a local supermarket and bring them to the head of a road. This is one of the problems we must address. Bags at flow junctions are attacked by animals like dogs and litter problems result.
Is there any evidence to suggest those householders dispose of their waste in an illegal fashion by burning or dumping?
Mr. Breathnach
There is no doubt that there is some backyard burning and possibly illegal disposal of rubbish in remote areas.
I presume that the population of 143,000 excludes the city. How many of the households have a door to door collection?
Mr. Breathnach
It is approximately 59% or 60%. We are trying to increase that number.
The recycling target is 48%. What level has the council reached?
Mr. Breathnach
Based on the 2004 data, we are at a figure of 26%.
What is the position on the incinerator?
Mr. Breathnach
The new draft plan refers to thermal treatment. This is part of the integrated approach to waste management and is in line with European Union and national policy.
Is it intended to have an incinerator somewhere in Galway? Was a site not selected for it?
Mr. Breathnach
No definite site was selected. The new plan proposes it as a policy, but only after maximising recycling efforts.
The target is 33% energy recovery. Does that refer to the incinerator?
Mr. Breathnach
Yes, the incinerator remains in consideration. It is part of an integrated approach. After maximising efforts in the area of recycling, thermal treatment will have to be considered.
Is it just being considered?
Mr. Breathnach
It is not definite yet as the plan has not been adopted.
Is Mr. Breathnach talking about the regional plan?
Mr. Breathnach
No, a new draft plan was issued just before Christmas.
What does it cover?
Mr. Breathnach
It covers from 2005 to 2010.
What region does it cover?
Mr. Breathnach
It covers the Connacht region.
Which of the local authorities will be responsible for the incinerator?
Mr. Breathnach
That has not yet been identified.
I understood the existing plan was that the city would look after the incinerator and the county would look after the landfill. Has that gone by the board now?
Mr. Breathnach
There has been a change. The new plan includes the incinerator as part of the policy but it is general and no location has been identified for it at this point.
Mr. Gilmore
There is no location specified in the draft plan for 2005 to 2010, but it is part of an integrated approach to disposal and recycling of refuse.
The business of bringing waste on a 100-mile trip from Clifden is nonsense. Is there no solution other than to bring waste from one end of the county to the other?
Mr. Breathnach
There is just one landfill in County Galway.
Is that the new one?
Mr. Breathnach
Yes, the new one at Kilconnell. It is a privately owned landfill. The other local authority landfill closed on 31 December. The issue of distance is one with which we must deal. Ms Ní Mhainnín said that approximately six permanent collectors operate in County Galway, the largest of which services approximately 75% of the county. He serves the Connemara area and can take his waste back to a transport station just outside Galway city and it goes from there on to the landfill.
I welcome the three delegates, my neighbours, and compliment them on the great work they are doing in Galway with regard to recycling, composting and waste disposal in landfill. The word "landfill" is not well considered in my area because Kilconnell was the area chosen by Greenstar. We went through some ups and downs in the area in this regard and I thank the delegates for their help in the area.
With regard to the closure of the landfill at Ballinasloe, there were talks that gas would be removed from it. Is there any movement on that proposal? The people of Ballinasloe have told us that there is a constant taint from the landfill. I have my own views on that issue and think some of the taint may come from an old landfill that was not well cared for in the past. When the council took over Ballinasloe landfill it did positive work on it and looked after it well. However, there are problems with landfills that have been left over the years. Is there money set aside to ensure the Ballinasloe landfill is kept in good condition now that it is closed?
Another area of concern is the person who does not have a bin. This is a big problem in Galway as the private landfill only takes waste from its own trucks. The public cannot go in and dispose of their refuse there, something they could do in Ballinasloe where anybody who wanted to empty a back shed or whatever could use the weighbridge and dispose of their rubbish. Will the council provide any solution to this?
I compliment the council on the work it has done. It has gone a long way since the introduction of the waste management plan. I remind the delegates that when I was on the council the plan suggested a landfill in east Galway and one in north Mayo. We hope one will open in north Mayo because east Galway has done its share.
Mr. Breathnach
With regard to the landfill gas, a study is under way and consultants have been engaged to consider the capture of the gas and its conversion to energy. That is happening as we speak. The Deputy referred to people not being able to bring their own refuse to the landfill. As matters stand, a person cannot use the new landfill unless he is a permitted collector and disposal is only by prearranged contract with the private operator.
There was no mention of pay-by-weight. Has the council any plans to take that route? How close is the council to the introduction of the brown bin?
Mr. Breathnach
The brown bin was introduced in the Ballinasloe urban area as a pilot project. We must wait on the private sector to develop the infrastructure, which is 75% in place. We hope it will be in place this year, at which time we will work with the contractors to roll out the brown bin programme throughout the county.
What about weight?
Mr Breathnach
Some of the contractors have only introduced a pay-by-weight system in the past six months. They offer a large-bin, small-bin system to address the pay-by-weight issue. If one opts for the smaller bin, one is subject to a reduced annual fee.
Is the number of collections the same?
Mr Breathnach
It is.
How long will the landfill at Kilconnell last?
Mr Breathnach
Ten years.
What will happen thereafter?
Mr Breathnach
A new landfill site or an extension to the existing one will have to be sought. The thermal treatment facility may be in place at that stage, but I am not sure.
Mr. Gilmore
We will wait for the draft waste management plan for Connacht and see what it proposes for the ten-year period.
How is route collection for kerbside bins determined? In this regard, how are contractors able to cherrypick routes, as was referred to? Does the council currently specify the separated collection of dry recyclables in all of its contracts?
Mr Breathnach
The council does not issue any contracts. The private operators are operating in the open market and bound by their collection permits which contain certain conditions. They have been able to cherrypick and avoid the areas that are difficult to service. The collection permits were first issued in early 1999 but there was no condition therein that the contractors had to service particular areas. The attitude of the local authority at the time was such that it did not want to be heavy-handed in respect of the conditions in the permits. There was much change at the time and it is a matter of bringing the contractors along with one.
Could the waste permit regime be reformed at this stage?
It certainly could. One of the problems with an open-type permit is that contractors will cherrypick routes. I do not know the mindset of those who set the original conditions but they may have been trying to avoid the development of cartels in certain areas. One could say the policy is evolving and it probably needs to be tweaked now and then.
Is there any tie-up with the private operators in the administration of the bring centres? Could there be an improvement on a national scale in this regard if there were more grants available from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government?
Mr. Breathnach
The thinking is that the recycling centres will deal with waste streams not dealt with at kerbside or household levels. We would like to expand the network of recycling centres. We seek to have one in each electoral area at a minimum. As Ms Ní Mhainnín stated, there is a proposal to have one in south Connemara, bearing in mind the remoteness of the islands in that region.
Are the islanders good at recycling? Are there any special data for them?
Mr. Breathnach
Ms Ní Mhainnín referred to a scheme called Timpeallact na nOileáin on the Aran Islands. It is very successful.
That concludes our questions. We appreciate the delegates taking the time to travel from Galway this afternoon to address our meeting. We are preparing a report on household waste recycling generally and will send the delegates a copy in due course.
The joint committee adjourned at 4.35 p.m. until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 25 January 2006.