International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

performance is to be radically improved, these include, better separation and sorting
of waste at source, provision of an adequate infrastructure for the collection and
management of waste arisings, greater reprocessing capacity to convert waste into
usable products or raw materials and the generation of markets and improved
demand for recycled or recyclable materials, especially in the manufacturing and
construction sectors.
On pay-by-use charging, the document set out a date by which it expected the
completion, nationally, of the switch to weight/volume based charging. It envisaged
that responsibility for doing so would rest with individual collectors, with local
authorities including appropriate conditions in waste collection permits, the first twoyearly
reviews of which were then starting to fall due.
6.3.4 National Biodegradable Waste Strategy
The National Biodegradable Waste Strategy (NBWS) states that its most desirable
option is waste prevention or reduction of biodegradable municipal waste production,
to minimise the amount of waste requiring collection and treatment. The next most
desirable option is reusing biodegradable municipal waste (BMW), such as cardboard
and textiles. This strategy provides a combination of measures based on education /
awareness and economic instruments aimed at reducing BMW generation. For
biodegradable waste that must be collected and managed, materials recycling and
biological treatment are favoured, since they recover the material for new beneficial
uses.
6.3.4.1 Waste Prevention
The National Biodegradable Waste Strategy (NBWS) includes ambitious targets for
the prevention of biodegradable waste. It is not clear, however, who is to be charged
with implementing these, other than the EPA through its waste prevention
programme.
Elsewhere, we have commented on the significant change in tone and substance
between the Draft and the Final Biodegradable Waste Strategy. 131 The draft strategy,
published in 2004, applied an annual growth rate of 3.8% to the arisings of
biodegradable municipal waste. This was the growth rate experienced from 1995-
1998 as reported in the EPA Report of 2001. The logic was presented as follows:
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“A waste growth rate of 3.8% per annum has been applied for the period of the
Strategy. This is the growth rate that was experienced in the period 1995-1998.
While economic growth and population growth may moderate in the coming
years, choosing a relatively high growth rate such as this means the strategy
should prescribe adequate waste recovery capacity and in any case there will
be no difficulty if the landfill diversion targets are ultimately exceeded.” 132 (our
emphasis)
131 Eunomia with Tobin (2007) Waste Policy, Planning and Regulation in Ireland, Report for Greenstar.
132 DOEHLG (2004) Draft National Biodegradable Waste Strategy. 2004