Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the roll out of brown bins by local authorities; if he has received updates from local authorities indicating when its roll out will happen; if Ireland is on course to divert sufficient organic waste from landfill in time for the 2010 deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22226/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Meeting the requirements of the Landfill Directive is a key national priority in respect of waste management and I am committed to implementing the measures necessary to ensure that Ireland meets the 2010, and subsequent, EU landfill diversion targets. Data from the National Waste Report 2008, published by the EPA, show that the quantity of biodegradable municipal waste disposed of to landfill decreased by 19% in 2008 to approximately 1.2 million tonnes, requiring Ireland to divert a further 280,000 tonnes in order to meet the first Landfill Directive target due in July 2010.

A comprehensive circular letter (WPPR 17/08) issued to each local authority in July 2008 requesting that appropriate steps be taken to support an accelerated roll out of segregated collections for organic waste ('brown bins') both to domestic households and to commercial organisations. Such bins could be provided directly by local authorities where the local authorities remain in the business of waste collection or, alternatively, utilising the existing waste collection permitting system where the service is provided by the private sector. The National Waste Report 2008 provides the latest data in relation to the roll out of the brown bin. The separate kerbside collection of household food and garden waste in brown bins increased substantially from 18,705 tonnes in 2007 to 37,920 tonnes in 2008 and I would expect to see further increases reported for 2009 and into the future.

The number of local authority areas where household brown bin waste was collected at kerbside increased from 13 in 2007 to 16 in 2008 mainly due to private operators offering the service. In December 2009 I signed the Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009, which are designed to promote the segregation and beneficial use of food waste arising in the commercial sector.

In addition, I increased the landfill levy by the currently permitted annual maximum of €5 per tonne to €25 per tonne in December 2009 and to €30 per tonne from 1 February 2010. This will assist in ensuring that landfill gate fees do not act as a barrier to achieving the diversion targets. Further increases in the landfill levy are being considered in the context of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to be published later this year. Ensuring a supportive framework for the achievement of Landfill Directive requirements is also a key consideration in my Department's work to prepare a new waste policy document, a draft of which I expect to publish for consultation shortly.