The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government recently launched a Draft Statement of Waste Policy for public consultation. The Minister said the draft policy was intended to map the future of waste management for the next decade and beyond and aimed to protect the environment, reduce costs for householders and businesses, while at the same time promoting job creation and innovation in the waste industry.
The policy document sees waste as a resource that can create jobs and enhance prosperity and proposes a number of changes to divert waste away from landfill or incinerator. The proposals include; devising a National Framework Plan which will guide regional planning of waste infrastructure.
- modifying existing waste regions
- making local authorities responsible for collection of household waste
- holding a competitive tender for the provision of services (public or private)
- the rationalisation of the waste regulatory functions of local authorities into a single nationally administered arrangement
- the introduction of measures to ensure that no local authority should enter into any contract for treatment or disposal of quantities of waste which would exceed those that they or their agents might reasonably expect to control
- a series of residual waste treatment levies with an increased landfill levy and a new levy on incineration
- minimum standards of service will be required of all those providing a household waste collection service including possibly the collection of food waste weekly and the collection of textile waste monthly
- improvement in service provided at civic amenity sites
- the setting of targets for the reduction in overall waste quantities and increased rates of recycling
- new producer responsibility requirements on packaging, construction materials, electronic equipment and hazardous substances
- possible financial support to the private sector from the Environment Fund
- use of gas from anaerobic digestion of waste
This is a significant document and, if all of the proposals are ultimately implemented, it could make a big difference to how waste is handled in Ireland. One of the more significant issues relates to the planned incinerator for Dublin. These proposals could have a bearing on the eventual size (and economics) of this incinerator and opens the debate about where energy recovery from waste fits into the waste heirarchy.
The draft policy document is open for public consultation until October. If you want to have a say in how Ireland’s waste policy develops then you can find the document at http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Environment/Waste/WasteManagement/FileDownLoad,23397,en.pdf
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