Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

12. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will intervene to return the collection of waste in the Dublin City Council area to the council when contracts are due for renewal next month; and if he will make a statement on any breaches of by-laws and failure to collect waste the private operators. [34328/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I presume the Question is referring to the issue of waste collection permits required to be held by all waste collectors.

Waste collection in Ireland is subject to compliance with applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, primarily the Waste Management Act 1996 and conditions attached to each waste collector’s collection permit issued under the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007.Waste collection in individual local authority areas may also be subject to local bye-laws.Enforcement of waste legislation, a waste collection permit condition or waste bye-law is a matter for the relevant local authority.

Section 33 of the Waste Management Act 1996 requires a local authority to collect, or arrange for the collection of waste within its functional area.However, it also provides that this requirement does not apply where any of the following conditions are met:

(a)an adequate waste collection service is available,

(b)the estimated costs of the collection of the waste concerned by the local authority would in the opinion of the authority be unreasonably high, or

(c)the local authority is satisfied that adequate arrangements for the disposal of the waste concerned can reasonably be made by the holder of the waste.

In terms of intervening in operational matters concerning the collection of waste, under section 60(3) of the Act, as Minister , I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by the Agency or a local authority, in particular circumstances, of a statutory function vested in it.

I am committed to ensuring that the regulatory regime applying to waste collection is robust and delivers quality outcomes for householders and the environment. As part of implementation of the Government’s waste policy, A Resource Opportunity, my Department carried out a public consultation process earlier this year on options for revising the existing regulatory regime which applies to waste collection. Arising from that process, my Department is now developing a robust new regulatory framework aimed at professionalising and modernising Ireland’s system of household waste collection. I expect to finalise the new Regulations in January 2015, with a view to the new regime coming into operation on 1 July 2015.