Target more inspections at waste tyres and food waste – EPA

Local authorities need to target a reduction in the illegal dumping of tyres and the recycling of food waste, a review of local authority environmental enforcement performance for 2014 – 2016 has found.

The review, by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that local authorities also need to target inspections to improve air quality in towns.

Ireland, through local authority inspections, needs to improve the management of waste tyres, to minimise toxic fire threats, according to the review.

New regulations have been introduced recently to maximise the reuse, recycling and recovery of waste tyres.

For 2018, the report wants local authorities to focus on inspections of retailers to drive compliance with the new scheme.

Food waste

Along with increased waste tyre inspections, the review found that Ireland needs to improve the segregation of household food waste and enforce the brown bin collection services to increase recycling, avoid odour nuisance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Local authority enforcement is key to ensuring recycling targets are met and the review outlines that this can be achieved via public awareness campaigns and inspections of waste collectors.

The EPA used 26 indicators to measure local authorities’ environmental enforcement performance and overall found that national environmental enforcement performance was static between 2014 and 2015. In 2016, the overall local authority performance improved.

The review found that in 2016 local authorities undertook 140,000 environmental inspections, 15,000 enforcement actions and 400 prosecutions.

Commenting on the report, Valerie Doyle, Senior Inspector in the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Local authorities need to specify how their inspections will improve our environment and our health in their plans for 2018.

“Targeting inspections in areas where improvements are clearly needed, such as reducing harmful air pollutants from burning smoky coal, will improve our environment and our health.”

Read more

Farm tyre collection under discussion

Local authorities need to target a reduction in the illegal dumping of tyres and the recycling of food waste, a review of local authority environmental enforcement performance for 2014 – 2016 has found.

The review, by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that local authorities also need to target inspections to improve air quality in towns.

Ireland, through local authority inspections, needs to improve the management of waste tyres, to minimise toxic fire threats, according to the review.

New regulations have been introduced recently to maximise the reuse, recycling and recovery of waste tyres.

For 2018, the report wants local authorities to focus on inspections of retailers to drive compliance with the new scheme.

Food waste

Along with increased waste tyre inspections, the review found that Ireland needs to improve the segregation of household food waste and enforce the brown bin collection services to increase recycling, avoid odour nuisance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Local authority enforcement is key to ensuring recycling targets are met and the review outlines that this can be achieved via public awareness campaigns and inspections of waste collectors.

The EPA used 26 indicators to measure local authorities’ environmental enforcement performance and overall found that national environmental enforcement performance was static between 2014 and 2015. In 2016, the overall local authority performance improved.

The review found that in 2016 local authorities undertook 140,000 environmental inspections, 15,000 enforcement actions and 400 prosecutions.

Commenting on the report, Valerie Doyle, Senior Inspector in the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Local authorities need to specify how their inspections will improve our environment and our health in their plans for 2018.

“Targeting inspections in areas where improvements are clearly needed, such as reducing harmful air pollutants from burning smoky coal, will improve our environment and our health.”

Read more

Farm tyre collection under discussion

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