Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

109. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has put preventative measures in place to prevent an increase in dumping given the implementation of the pay-by-weight household collection charge; if he is offering support to local authorities, community groups and so on who have to tackle this issue on a daily basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10988/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There is no indication from areas where pay-by-weight charging has already been implemented that there has been increased evidence of dumping. In addition, a comprehensive pay-by- weight awareness campaign is currently being rolled out, which includes practical advice for householders on reducing and segregating their waste and thereby minimising their costs.

Notwithstanding the above, and while enforcement action against illegal waste activity, including dumping, is a matter for the local authorities or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as appropriate, my Department has introduced a number of measures to strengthen our efforts to combat illegal waste activity generally.

Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs) have been established in each of the three existing waste regions with responsibility for coordinating waste enforcement actions and ensuring consistent enforcement of waste legislation while still leaving local authority personnel as first responders on the ground to specific breaches of waste legislation. This will facilitate a transformation from process driven enforcement, structured around separate implementation of individual regulations, to one that focuses greatest effort on the waste problems and issues that matter most and to take swift, proportionate and effective action. The work of the WERLAs is being supported by continued funding provided by my Department for the local authority waste enforcement network.

Some €8.2 million is being provided in 2016 for the retention by local authorities of 155 specialised waste enforcement officers, critical to tackling issues such as illegal dumping in local communities and in providing an enhanced response on the ground to infractions of the waste code.

It should also be noted that, under the new pay-by-weight regulatory regime, local authorities will be establishing a register which records the details of households which are using the services of an authorised waste operator (whether a kerbside collector, pay to use compactor or civic amenity facility). In gathering these details from service providers, local authorities may use this information to target households which appear not to be managing their waste correctly or using the services of an authorised operator and these data will support a number of awareness, education and enforcement programmes already initiated by individual local authorities.

Furthermore, fixed penalty notices (or on-the-spot fines) can also be issued from 1 July 2016 in respect of non-compliant waste collectors or service providers for breaches of their waste collection permit conditions.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

110. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of the burden the introduction of the pay-by-weight bin charges will have on small providers in particular; if he will implement measures to mitigate the impact of the charges system on smaller waste collection providers; and if he will allow a phased introduction of the charges over a longer timeframe by local authorities in certain circumstances such as in areas with a lower population density. [11001/16]

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

111. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department or any body under its aegis has assessed the impact of the introduction of new pay-by-weight bin charges on smaller waste collection providers; if he is concerned that their introduction in July 2016 will impose an excessive burden on smaller waste collectors in rural and lower density areas and potentially have a significant effect on the waste collection market leading to a concentration of large providers; the cost of implementing the charges, by lorry; and the cost differential of implementing the new system in urban areas in comparison to rural areas. [11002/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together.

The Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) on the collection of household waste carried out in 2012 analysed in depth the household waste collection market and gave a comprehensive overview of the market structure and industry in Ireland.

It recognised that concentration had occurred in the market, as larger firms expanded, in part by acquiring smaller firms, and as local authorities withdrew from the national market. The RIA further noted that, as the household waste collection market develops, consolidation is likely over the medium to long term, in which a small number of vertically integrated waste collection firms may capture more of the national market.

In terms of costs to collectors, the exact costs of servicing any given householder will differ considerably due to a number of variables, including the demographic and geographic nature of the local market, shift patterns, the frequency of the service, the degree of segregated collection, and, in many cases, the degree to which a collection route serves both household and commercial waste.

In terms of moving to pay-by-weight, the RIA also highlighted that a transition to weight-based charging on a national basis could be achieved relatively cheaply, in view of the potential benefits. The necessary capital investment primarily involves fitting transponders to individual bins, and equipping refuse collection vehicles with data readers and weighing equipment. Costs in relation to transponders set out in the RIA were understood to be approximately €2.50 per unit, and approximately €3.00 installation cost per unit. Equipping a refuse collection vehicle with the necessary data reader and weighing equipment is understood to cost approximately €30,000 per vehicle or approximately 10% of the capital cost of the vehicle. Annual repair and maintenance costs are understood to be of the order of 7% of the initial investment, e.g. €2,100 per refuse collection vehicle.

The Waste Management (Waste Collection Permit) Regulations 2007, as amended, have required, since 1 July 2015, that vehicles collecting household waste in reusable receptacles (such as wheelie bins) weigh the waste collected and to make this information available to the householder at least once per month.