Gormley to sign biodegradable waste rules

New regulations which will effectively require commercial premises to have an additional 'brown bin' for biodegradable waste are to be signed within weeks by Minister for Environment John Gormley.

While the regulations are in response to an EU directive on the diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill, Mr Gormley said their introduction would also "underline the complete financial folly" of incineration.

Commercial businesses such as restaurants, food suppliers such as fruit and vegetable dealers and even landscape gardeners will have until next July to stop putting out biodegradable waste in their "black bins", which go to landfill.

For the vast majority this will mean acquiring 'brown bins' which will take biodegradable and organic waste, mainly for composting.

The move will bring to three the number of bins many commercial premises will be required to operate.

However the Minister insisted this would not result in extra costs on businesses as the new brown bins would be cheaper than black bins, as they would not be subject to a landfill levy.

Mr Gormley's view is that the addition of a third bin could in fact reduce waste charges.

The regulations come as a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found Ireland needs to dramatically reduce the amount of biodegradable waste it sends to landfill.

The EPA National Waste Report 2008 found Ireland is well advanced in achieving most of the EU waste recovery and recycling targets, but was facing EU fines for a lack of progress in disposable waste.

Next year Ireland will have to divert an addition 280,000 tonnes of waste from landfill to avoid EU fines. The permitted level of biodegradable waste going to landfill is set to drop even further in coming years.

Mr Gormley said it was "ironic" that the EPA report had come out as Dublin City Council announced it was to sign a commencement order for the Dublin incinerator.

Mr Gormley who has already insisted the proposed tonnage at the Dublin incinerator was excessive, said the diversion of biodegradable waste by next July, would further "underline the "complete financial folly" of the incinerator.

The EPA said just one in five households currently had a brown bin service, but it expected this to increase rapidly.