Ms Laura Burke:

I just wanted to highlight that and that EPA regulation has created transformational change. On the historical sites, the local authorities, through their waste management plans, are responsible for infrastructure and waste facilities. Our role is regulation. Some 285 of these sites need to come to the EPA for authorisation as historical landfills. Those are the ones that were in operation between 1977 and 1997. We also have a role in providing technical support and guidance. We have, for example, issued codes of practice to local authorities to support them in their work of assessing these landfills.

The other aspect we have, which is pulled together there with regard to the number of sites, is the EPA's role in providing a section 22 register. This is where the local authorities log all of the information on the historical landfill sites and this information is included in the waste management plans for each of those regions.