Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to undertake an international review of waste management plans, practices and procedures. [17805/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I am carefully considering the form which the review of regional waste management plans provided for in the Programme for Government should take. It is important that the review is properly structured so as to make a lasting contribution to the manner in which Ireland undertakes waste management planning and the achievement of international best practice in this area, while meeting challenging national objectives and EU requirements.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the new ambitious waste management targets that will be established for maximum prevention, re-use, recycling and modern waste treatment; and the best EU performance for re-cycling which it is intended to match. [17806/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government commits to the setting of new ambitious waste management targets for maximum prevention, re-use, recycling and modern waste treatment to ensure that we match the best performance in the EU for recycling with the objective that only 10% of waste or less is consigned to landfill (down from 66% now).

Irish waste management policy is based on the internationally recognised integrated approach which places the main emphasis on waste prevention, reuse and recycling. This approach is now delivering demonstrable and successful results. In 1998 Ireland had a recycling rate of just 9% but this had risen to 35% by 2005, reaching a national target set for 2013. Our recycling of packaging waste over the same period rose from 15% to 60%, thus exceeding the 50% EU target set for 2005 and reaching the EU 2011 target.

The Government is determined to build on these achievements and I will be giving this matter priority over the coming months. The review of regional waste management plans provided for in the Programme for Government should also better equip Ireland to achieve these ambitious targets.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 355: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the landfills which are currently provided for under regional waste management plans, which the Government intends will be the last to be constructed for a generation. [17807/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The waste management plans for which local authorities have statutory responsibility, generally operating in regional groupings, identify the landfill capacity which those authorities consider necessary to meet the needs of each region while meeting national and EU objectives and requirements. My Department does not compile details in respect of existing or proposed facilities and all such facilities are required to be licensed by the EPA. In the context of the demanding landfill diversion targets established by the EU Landfill Directive it is clear that a significant move away from our current reliance on landfill is essential. I anticipate that this will be borne out by the international review of the regional waste management plans which is provided for in the Programme for Government.