Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the new initiatives he intends to take to encourage waste minimisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11043/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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An effective basis for addressing our waste management responsibilities has been put in place through my Department's policy statements, Changing Our Ways, Delivering Change — 1998 and Taking Stock Moving Forward — 2004, statutory waste management plans largely prepared on a regional basis and the comprehensive regulatory framework now in place in relation to waste.

The Government's approach is based on the internationally recognised waste management hierarchy of prevention-minimisation, significantly increased levels of recycling, energy recovery and utilising landfill as the last resort for residual waste that cannot otherwise be recovered.

A key priority currently is the development and rollout of a national waste prevention programme. A core prevention team was established last year in the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and drive the programme — a draft programme was published by the agency in April 2004. The core prevention team is in the process of developing baseline studies as part of the initial phase of the programme. The five-year programme also envisages mandatory waste and material audits, waste prevention pilot schemes etc. The initial budget for the national waste prevention programme is €2 million.

A key component of the waste management system in Ireland has been the development of producer responsibility initiatives. I recently made regulations to further streamline the packaging waste regulations made in 2003. As I indicated when making the revised regulations, my Department is currently reviewing a number of policy aspects in relation to the operation of the packaging recycling regime currently in place. Excessive packaging is generated through a combination of poor packaging design, inefficient production or manufacturing processes and unsustainable consumption patterns, for example, by purchasing excessively packaged products. Taking action to prevent waste being generated in the first place is fundamental to the overriding objective of de-coupling economic growth from growth in waste arisings.

Despite the in-built incentive favouring waste prevention under the existing Repak scheme, greater efforts still need to be made by producers generally in reducing the amounts of unnecessary over-packaging of products placed on the market. Consumers also have a critical role in this regard by favouring products with less packaging. This message is being actively promoted in the Race Against Waste campaign.

My Department is currently developing regulations for further producer responsibility initiatives in relation to EU directives on waste electrical and electronic equipment and end-of-life vehicles; these directives are based on the promotion of waste prevention and minimisation objectives. Regulations implementing these will be made this year. Work is also under way in developing producer responsibility initiatives for waste tyres and for newsprint.