Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue and allowing me the opportunity to reply today on behalf of Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly. I am happy to clarify the matter.
Planning for the provision of waste management facilities forms part of a waste management plan. The preparation and adoption of a waste management plan, including decisions on the provision or operation of particular waste infrastructure, is the statutory responsibility of the local authority or authorities concerned taking into account local circumstances. The Government has no role in this area. Indeed, under section 60(3) of the 1996 Act, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by a local authority, in particular circumstances, of a statutory function vested in it. Any decision to operate or not operate Bottlehill landfill is therefore a matter for Cork County Council.
Similarly, any question of making a suitable site available to accommodate waste processing facilities is also the sole responsibility of the local authorities concerned and all queries in either case should be directed to Cork City Council or Cork County Council, as appropriate. The Government's role generally and the role of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, specifically in relation to waste management is to provide a comprehensive legislative and waste policy framework through which the relevant regulatory bodies, such as the local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency, operate. In this regard, my Department published A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland in July 2012, setting out a range of measures which will significantly revise the current regulatory regime to ensure, inter alia, that waste collected is managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy as set out in the waste framework directive, whereby prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery are favoured over the disposal of waste.
The policy encompasses measures covering the full spectrum of waste management planning, compliance and enforcement and provides a solid basis for the achievement of a more sustainable approach to waste management in this country. It is this policy approach, based on the waste hierarchy, rather than favouring one project over another, that must guide the development of diversified, indigenous waste treatment capacity. Ireland has been very successful in reducing its reliance on disposal to landfill over recent years. Further targets for reduction under the landfill directive will require that we build on this progress. At the same time, we have become reliant on the export of our waste with significant quantities being shipped abroad for treatment, often through incineration. We have a clear need for domestic treatment capacity and the Government's waste policy provides a framework within which the industry can develop over the medium term. This will give us control over our waste, control over a valuable resource and the scope to support and create jobs.