NORTHERN IRELAND
LAUNCHES NEW
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY IN PLACE
OF THE FORMER ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE SERVICE
Environment Minister Sammy Wilson today (1st July) vowed the new Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) would forge an effective partnership with business in delivering a strong and safe environment, he pledged it would be better equipped to provide clear guidance to companies and crack down on waste crime.
As he formally launched the Agency, which replaces the Environment and Heritage Service, in Carrickfergus Castle, the Minister announced a range of new measures to modernise and strengthen environmental regulation.
In particular, the minister said that two £2 million would be invested over the next three years in Better Regulation, 40 new jobs would be created to help business comply with environmental regulation, and that there would be an Environmental Crime Unit to tackle serious environmental offences.
To go to the Northern Ireland Government site and NIEA launch information please click here:
http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/other-index/news.htm?act=d&id=20038&ho=1215
To read a related article from letsrecycle.com please click here:
http://www.letsrecycle.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=37&listcatid=217&listitemid=10155
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IRELAND
- NATIONAL REVIEW OF PAY-AS-YOU-THROW SCHEMES
This study reports on the findings of the first phase of a two-part project examining pay-by-use (PBU) charging systems in
Ireland
conducted between May and September 2006. The second in-depth case study phase will be completed in April 2008. The aim of this first phase was to investigate the implementation of PBU domestic waste charges in
Ireland
in order to discern their impact on domestic waste management activities such as waste presentation, waste recycling and illegal waste diversion.
The nationwide review was conducted by collating figures on waste management behaviour and data on PBU charges for each of the 34 local authorities in
Ireland
. Information was collected using telephone and e-mail surveys, postal questionnaires (in association with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DoEHLG)) and data gathered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the National Waste Database.
The data were then analysed using SPSS, a computer-based statistical package that allows for analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. SPSS was used to analyse data across local authorities in order to determine overall findings and trends on a nationwide scale. Each local authority was then analysed to determine the effects of PBU charges and any associated infrastructure on waste anagement behaviour on a case by case basis.
The key findings from the research are outlined below.
Waste collection
In
Ireland
waste collection can be undertaken by both local authorities and by private waste collectors operating within a local authority's functional area. The research found that 53%1 of local authorities have exclusively private waste collection within the local authority's functional area, 41% of local authorities have a combination of both private waste collectors and local authority collecting domestic waste, and 6% of local authorities do not have any private waste collectors within their functional area collecting domestic waste. The average number of waste collectors operating within each local authority's functional area is five. This means that collection practices can differ not only from local authority to local authority, but also within one local authority area.
PBU systems
There are three systems of PBU charges currently used in
Ireland
:
(i) volume-based systems
(ii) tag-based systems
(iii) weightbased systems.
Volume-based systems require householders to subscribe to a weekly bin collection, for which they pay an annual charge. This system is considered PBU as householders can select the size of bin they subscribe to; the annual charge is based on the volume of the bin, with larger bins incurring a higher annual charge. Tag-based systems include both tag-a-bag and tag-a-bin. These involve householders purchasing tags to attach to their bag or bin with collectors picking up only those bags and bins with the appropriate tag attached. The system is considered PBU as householders only pay for waste collection when they place bags or bins out for collection. Weight-based systems involve householders paying per kilogram of waste placed out for collection. The waste collector weighs the bin and bills the householder based on this weight.
Adoption of PBU systems
Of the 32 local authorities in
Ireland
that responded to the postal questionnaire, 11 (32%) use one PBU system within their functional area, 19 (56%) use two, and two (6%) use all three systems. This use of multiple systems within a local authority's functional area is as a result of numerous waste collectors operating within the area. Tag-based systems are the most common, with the majority of local authorities (82%) using such systems through one or more waste collectors within their functional area. Volume-based systems are used in 62% of local authorities' functional areas, with weight-based systems used in only 15%. Waste collectors operating within six local authorities (18%) had not moved to local-authority-wide PBU charging at the time of the study and instead used a flat-rate charge in part of the local authorities' functional area. Flat charges are used by 16 waste collectors across the six local authorities.
Copies of the report A Nationwide Review of Pay-By-Use (PBU) Domestic Waste Collection Charges in
Ireland
: Extensive Survey Findings (2005-WRM-MS-33) are available (1 MB) from the EPA's website at:
http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/research/waste/ertdi63ocallaghan-platt-report-for-web1. pdf
0608
HAZARDOUS WASTE GUIDANCE PUBLISHED FOR
NORTHERN IRELAND
This guide has been produced by the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), an agency within the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland to assist producers, carriers or holders of waste to assess whether their waste is classified as hazardous, or not. This includes providing guidance on how to determine the appropriate European Waste Catalogue code (EWC) for their waste.
http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/hazguide_ni_classification_of_hw_version_1_may_200-2.pdf
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