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

Each region has devised, and periodically revises, a separate waste management
plan (Regional Waste Management Plan – RWMP). These plans account for the
growth in waste arisings and create a plan to process these with consideration for the
waste hierarchy. The National Overview of Waste Management Plans proposed to
consolidate the RWMPs and chart the expected waste arisings in the country,
objectives in terms of recycling and infrastructure development, and the implications
of change. 107
The first thing that will be noticed is that the regions which have emerged for the
purposes of waste management are not the same as those which were established
under the Local Government Act 1991. Indeed, there appears to have been no
constraint placed upon local authorities in constituting regions, and certainly no clear
logic, or plan, leading to the selection of the regions as they emerged. Local
authorities were neither forced to work together, nor prevented from forging their own
path. Discussions with DoEHLG officials suggest that local authorities formed regions
that appeared to make sense to them.
In the document, Taking Stock and Moving Forward, DoEHLG stated:
75
When Changing our Ways was published in 1998, it encouraged local
authorities to form regional groupings in order to secure more efficient
provision of infrastructure and services. One of the main benefits arising is the
resultant significant economy of scale, providing a viable framework in
planning and volume terms for the development of integrated and innovative
solutions and a favourable climate for the creation of beneficial partnership
arrangements between local authorities and the private sector.
Expected benefits of the RWMPs included the aforementioned economies of scale. In
addition to these economies of scale, further benefits were expected in terms of:
� Efficiency of collection services;
� Beneficial partnerships between the public and private sector; and
� A framework for the development of an integrated waste management
approach.
It was also expected that following the development of a plan, procurement processes
for waste infrastructure not provided by the private sector would follow.
5.1.1 Reaction to RWMPs
The RWMPs had a somewhat problematic gestation. One academic commentator has
a critical perspective on the changes which occurred with a view to ensuring
implementation of the RWMPs, suggesting the move eroded local democracy: 108
107 DoEHLG (2004) National Overview of Waste Management Plans, available at:
http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Waste/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1465,en.pdf
108 Anna Davies (2003) Waste Wars – Public Attitudes and the Politics of Place in Waste Management
Strategies, Irish Geography, 36 (1), pp.77-92.
International Review of Waste Policy: Annexes