An Taisce welcomes this consultation period on the Regulation of Household Waste Collection in Ireland and the opportunity to make a submission with regard to same.

1.0 Introduction

The main thrust of this submission primarily draws upon three documents: A Resource Opportunity: Waste Management Policy in Ireland (2012); Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe (2011); and Environmental Attitudes and Behaviour: Values, Actions and Waste Management (Davies et al., 2005). The more concrete suggestions we make in what follows stem from core points and understandings of attitudes to waste management, almost all of which are outlined in these documents, and allowing the following core objectives to be identified:

 Communication between householders and service operators must be improved. This communication includes improved transparency and a pro-active effort to illustrate to householders where their waste is going;

 Provision of incentives to make it worthwhile to recycle more. The Davies et al. (2005) report shows that people benchmark their waste disposal/recycling/segregation performance against the level of service that is provided. This suggests that it is down to policy-makers and service operators to provide incentives for change.

 These incentives need to be coupled with efforts to change social and cultural norms around waste. This will involve pilot schemes, media campaigns, as well as financial incentives. Within this context provision must be made for low-income homes; a tariff structure that retains incentives needs to be formulated, albeit that the tariffs will be of an order less than higher-income households.

2.0 Waste Hierarchy

3.0 Deliver Mandated Service Levels

4.0 Pricing Structures

5.0 “Fit and Proper” Person

6.0 Waste Management Collection Permit Fees

7.0 Customer Charters

8.0 Managing Nuisance and Health & Safety

9.0 Householder Obligations and Awareness and Education Measures

10.0 Reducing Administrative Burden

11.0 Bibliography

Download the submission here.