The Programme for Government commits to the development of a coherent national waste policy, adhering to the waste hierarchy, which will aim to minimise waste disposal in landfill and maximise recovery. I am prioritising this commitment, as I am anxious to provide early regulatory certainty, in the form of both policy and legislation, to ensure that the necessary actions and investments are progressed to achieve those aims.
I am currently considering the responses to a public consultation on national waste policy and I expect to be in a position to submit final proposals in this regard to Government by Easter this year. Decisions concerning the precise timing of the publication of the national waste policy will be made in that context.