Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am absolutely quite happy to report either through the committee or in another way about the group. There is no problem in doing that.

There are three types of construction waste and I need to get my own head around this. There is "clean" or greenfield construction waste, which is topsoil and stone on a greenfield site. There is brownfield construction waste, which could include the demolition of an existing building or brownfield site that contains non-hazardous soil. There is also construction and demolition finds, sorting of residues and rubble. We have sufficient capacity to deal with greenfield sites. We do not have enough capacity to deal with brownfield sites and rubble. There is a concern that in the second half of this year we will not have enough capacity in the country to meet demand. That is why this group has been set up.

There is currently engagement with the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, looking at possible uses for some of this waste and a licensing regime must be gone through. I understand the EPA is currently awaiting information from the Construction Industry Federation on that aspect, and this would allow it to be in a position to make a decision on alternative uses for some of the construction and demolition waste.

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