Plan to double recycling facilities in five years

The number of recycling facilities in the capital are expected to double over the next five years, a radical new waste plan revealed today.

The four Dublin local authorities are aiming to achieve recycling levels of 59% with landfills in the region rapidly approaching maximum capacity.

The revamp of the waste infrastructure will cost the councils €300m in capital investment.

Matt Twomey, chairman of the Dublin Region Waste Steering Group, said: “Preventing and reducing waste is key to the success of any waste plan.

"Every household needs to reduce the amount of waste they produce by buying goods with less packaging and home composting, if they have a garden.”

The Draft Dublin Waste Management Plan 2005-2010 proposes to achieve levels of 59% recycling, with landfill waste reduced to 16% and the remaining 25% of waste being incinerated to generate energy for electricity and potentially heating.

Around 26% of household, commercial and industrial waste was being recycled up to the end of 2003 – four times more than the 7% rate in 1997.

The four local authorities – Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, South Dublin and Fingal County Council – are already spending over €30m annually on new recycling centres, bring banks and household green bins in a bid to raise the recycling rate.

“We concentrated from the start on improving recycling facilities and making it easier for everyone in the region to start to recycle,” Mr Twomey said.

“We’re delighted with the huge progress we’ve made in providing recycling facilities and the wholehearted support we’ve received from the public.”

The waste steering group said that since 1998 the green bin recycling services were now provided to 350,000 households, apartments and schools.

There are around six recycling centres, nine community bring centres and 258 bring banks in operation.

The authorities said 22,500 home compost bins had been sold and a green waste composting facility had been built in South Dublin County Council.

Members of the public and interested parties can view the draft plan and make submissions over the next two months, from Monday April 25 to June 30, as it goes on display at the local authority offices in Dublin.

The authorities said central composting facilities for organic waste will soon be in place with two new plants undergoing development in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and Fingal County Council.

“We will be introducing a separate collection and biological treatment of organic vegetable, fruit and garden waste from households and businesses, with the aim of producing clean, high-quality compost,” Mr Twomey said.

The proportion of waste going into landfills stands at 74% – down from 93%.

The chairman said that the proposed new Fingal landfill would be essential to dispose of residual waste as all the current sites at Balleally and Arthurstown are close to full.

“The proposed incinerator at Poolbeg will be developed through a public private partnership and a service provider will be appointed in 2005 to commence the planning and waste licensing stages,” he added.

Mr Twomey warned that regulation and enforcement teams were in place to ensure that all waste collectors were operating legally with permits.

Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council have also set up ’regional enforcement units’ to combat illegal dumpers.