Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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492. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to waste management targets, if he is satisfied that progress is being achieved on the reduction of waste production and on the elimination of illegal disposal of waste in unauthorised sites around the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19508/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Government's waste policy, A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland, published in July 2012, provides a comprehensive framework of measures to enable Ireland become a recycling society, with a clear focus on resource efficiency and the virtual elimination of landfilling of municipal waste.  The policy contains measures to ensure that prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery are favoured to the disposal of waste.

The latest data available in relation to waste management targets are contained within the National Waste Report 2011 which is available on the EPA's website

(). This shows that Ireland is well advanced towards the achievement of its EU obligations across a broad range of waste legislation and has surpassed its targets in a number of areas including packaging, Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and Batteries. Municipal solid waste generated in Ireland has decreased by 17% since 2007. In addition, the percentage of solid waste recovered is showing steady annual increases and the recycling rate is now equivalent to other EU members at 40%, excluding energy recovery. The increased production of combustible waste from municipal waste streams for use as a fuel is contributing to increased recovery rates, as are the recent increases in the landfill levy which have encouraged the diversion of waste from landfill to various recovery options. On foot of preliminary municipal solid waste statistics for 2012 prepared by the EPA, I expect the National Waste Report 2012, when published in due course, to show further progress in modernising our approach to waste management.

In terms of waste enforcement, action against illegal waste activity is a matter for the local authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). My role, as Minister, is to provide the legislative and policy framework under which both local authority and EPA enforcement action against illegal dumping is initiated. My Department also provides financial support to a network of local authority waste enforcement officers, as well as to the OEE.

A Resource Opportunityalso contains a commitment to complete a review of the respective regulatory and enforcement roles of the Environmental Protection Agency (OEE) and local authorities. In early 2013, my Department established a group to carry out that review by examining current enforcement structures, identify the existing strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for the future. The group comprises representatives from local authorities, the regional waste management offices, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Transfrontier Shipment Office (NTFSO), the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) and An Garda Síochana. The group has made recommendations which are currently being considered by the City and County Managers' Association and my Department.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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493. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the current estimated total volume of non-agricultural waste produced annually here; the percentage of which is classed as construction and demolition waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19509/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Details regarding waste generation and treatment for various waste streams, including municipal and construction and demolition waste, are contained in the National Waste Reports, published annually by the Environmental Protection Agency, copies of which are available on the Agency's website at .

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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494. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the promotion of the use of recycled building materials in new construction projects here; the way in which this compares to the European norms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19510/14]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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495. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government with respect to construction demolition and waste management policy, his views on introducing a target of using 50% minimum recycled materials for the construction of local authority-social housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19511/14]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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496. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the supports available to the construction industry to opt for a more recycled approach in terms of construction demolition and waste management that is good for the environment and meets current legislation requirements and is more financially viable to the companies in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19512/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 to 496, inclusive, together.

I fully support the use of recycled building material in new construction projects. My Department issued Best Practice Guidelines on the Preparation of Waste Management Plans for Construction and Demolition Projectsin July 2006. The guidelines provide that prior to the commencement of development, the developer should be required to submit a formal Project Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan to the local authority for agreement, prior to Commencement Notice stage. These guidelines advocate maximum reuse of materials on-site, their segregation to facilitate recycling when not reused on-site, and minimal disposal.

The European Commission estimates that construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for approximately 25% - 30% of all waste generated each year in the EU. The latest EPA National Waste Report, in respect of 2011, indicates that collected C&D wastes in Ireland have decreased by 83% from a peak of 17.8Mt in 2007 to just over 3Mt in 2011. The bulk of the tonnage collected in 2011 was made up of soil and stones (1,975,844t), with the remaining 1,027,847t consisting of other C&D waste materials such as rubble, metals, timber, plastic, glass, wood and mixed C&D waste. The previous national Waste Policy Statement, Changing our Ways, published in 1998, set an overall target recovery rate of at least 85% by 2013. Latest recovery rates for C&D waste in 2011 are well ahead of that target, at 97%. Recovery in this instance can mean recycling (material recovery), energy recovery (use of waste as a fuel other than in direct incineration) and biological recovery.

In terms of the use of such recycled materials in new local authority or social housing construction, my Department has supported a number of pilot projects under the main social housing investment programme, including in the Ballymun Regeneration Project, where one further innovative environmental initiative, involving the demolition and recycling of materials from the old Boiler House, is scheduled to be progressed this year. Social housing projects involving the demolition and construction of new replacement housing have the potential to support the maximum reuse of materials on-site. My Department, in consultation with the relevant housing authorities, will explore how best to incentivise the use of recycled building materials in social housing projects through the public procurement arrangements, while being mindful of the need to avoid restrictive tendering practices.

The on-going review of the Producer Responsibility concept in Ireland will examine the possibility for establishing of producer responsibility initiatives for construction and demolition projects. The final report of the review will be published in the coming months.