Environment

Welcome to Environment

Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Office Word is required to open the documents detailed below. Please contact us if the information you require is not available from this website.

Welcome

As a business owner you have a huge role in ensuring the environmentally sound management of waste. This waste can take the form of electrical or electronic equipment or indeed packaging material. Please review the guidelines provided below.

Asbestos

For advice on asbestos removal please refer to the attached documents.

  1. Asbestos guidance [ word 28kb ]
  2. Safety with Asbestos information sheet [ pdf 73kb ]

New Food Waste Regulations

Businesses in the catering and accommodation sector (including bars, hotels, restaurants, canteens, supermarkets and nursing homes) will be required to segregate food waste as of 1st July 2010.

In order to implement the EU Landfill Directive the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government introduced new Food Waste Regulations in December 2009. The new regulations (Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 508 of 2009)) are aimed at the commercial sector.
 

If you run a pub, hotel, supermarket, canteen, college, large guest house, restaurant or café that produces more than 50kg of food waste a week then these regulations apply to you. Under the new Regulations from 1st July 2010 all food waste arising on the premises will need to be segregated at source and kept separate from other waste and contaminants. The segregated food waste should then be made available for collection or transferred directly by the producer for the purposes of authorised treatment. Alternatively the waste may be treated on the premises under specified conditions.

Premises that produce less than 50kg of food waste in a week have until 1st July this year to apply in writing to Carlow County Council to be exempt from the Regulations until 1st July 2011 (copies of the exemption form can be downloaded here). However where a source segregated food waste collection service is currently available to the producer this exemption does not apply.

  1. Food waste regulations exemption claim form [ word 32kb ]

Specified premises include (See Schedule 1 of the Regulations for exact wording):

  • Premises that supply hot food for eating on or off the premises, including where this is just a subsidiary activity.
  • Pubs where food is supplied.
  • Premises where food is supplied to employees.
  • Hotels, guest houses, and hostels with > 4 guest bedrooms.
  • Shops or supermarkets selling food, including sandwiches or hot food, including where this is just a subsidiary activity.
  • Restaurants, cafés, bistros, wine bars, etc. where food is prepared on the premises.
  • Hospitals, nursing homes, etc., where food is prepared on the premises.
  • Schools, colleges, higher level institutions, training centres, etc., where food is prepared on the premises.
  • State buildings where food is prepared on the premises, including prisons, barracks, government departments, local authorities, etc.
  • Stations, airports, ports, harbours and marinas where food waste is unloaded.

Implementation of the regulations should not conflict with food safety and hygiene standards. Producers must take reasonable measures to minimise odours and nuisance on their premises.

Carlow Local Authorities may request that a producer prepare and submit an annual environmental report in respect of performance on food waste management. In addition, organisers of trade shows, exhibitions and events where food is supplied must prepare a food waste management plan before and reports after the event, on the provisions made to meet these Regulations. A Council may also request a food waste management implementation report after the event.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has compliled a list of FAQ's and their views on the issues raised. This document is available below. An information brochure on minimising food waste in the catering sector is also recommended reading.

  1. Less food waste, more profit; a guide to minimising food waste in the catering sector [ pdf 5mb ]
  2. Frequently asked question on food waste regulations 2009 [ pd 180kb ] 

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

The WEEE directive aims to reduce the waste arising from electrical and electronic equipment and to improve the environmental performance of all those involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic products. The WEEE and the Restriction on Hazardous Substances ( RoHS ) directives require an improvement in the way we manage our electrical and electronic waste. They seek to encourage manufacturers to develop more environmentally friendly products.

If you are a customer you can request your retailer to accept a similar waste appliance or product when you are buying a new one.

If you are a retailer you are obliged to accept a similar waste appliance or product when a customer is buying a new product. Retailers are also obliged to meet the following requirements.

  1. Be registered with their local authority.
  2. Provide for free in store takeback of household WEEE on a one for one basis on the sale of a new like product.
  3. Ensure that any WEEE collected is delivered to an approved recycling facility.
  4. Ensure that the storage and transport of WEEE collected as above meets the requirements of the regulations.
  5. Ensure that private households are informed of the Restriction on Hazardous Substances take back facilities available to them and that they are encouraged to participate in the separate collection of WEEE.

Tyre and Waste Tyre Regulations

There are approximately 3 million tyres placed on the Irish Market each year. An estimated 35,000 tonnes of waste tyres are generated in Ireland each year though data on this waste stream is deficient; hence the need to put in place a system for tracking waste tyre flows. Waste tyres are not in themselves a hazardous waste, but have the potential to cause environmental pollution if disposed of incorrectly.

The Waste Management ( Tyres and Waste Tyres ) Regulations 2007 are designed to promote the environmentally sound management of waste tyres. They provide a regulatory framework for comparing quantities of waste tyres arising with the quantities placed on the market and in tracking the movement of waste tyres from the time they are discarded until they are either reused or processed for recycling and/or recovery. The Regulations came into effect on 1st January 2008.

Obligations and Regulations

The Regulations impose obligations on persons who supply tyres to the Irish market, whether as manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers, traders, or retailers and/or the collectors of waste tyres. An exemption from these obligations is available to persons who participate in a voluntary compliance scheme operated by an approved body.

Manufacturers, retreaders, remoulders and importers are required to provide details of the quantities of tyres they place on the market. Wholesalers and retailers are prohibited from transferring waste tyres to anybody except an authorised waste collector. Wholesalers and retailers are required to provide details of tyres sold and waste tyres taken back and transferred to authorised waste collectors. Those that place tyres on the Irish Market must register with their Local Authority if they have not registered with an Industry Compliance Scheme. ( see below )

Authorised waste collectors are required to register with their Local Authority from February 2008 if they have not registered with an Industry Compliance Scheme ( see below ). They are obliged to report on the quantities of waste tyres collected and transferred to third parties including farmers, recyclers, retreaders, remoulders and other recovery operators. Recovery operators will be required to issue "Certificates of Recovery" to authorised waste collectors depositing waste tyres with them.

Individuals/companies found passing their waste on to unauthorised collectors face prosecution under Section 32 of the Waste Management Acts, as amended, and could be fined up to €3,000 and or 6 months imprisonment sentence on summary conviction. If such waste is disposed of that causes environmental pollution, and a charge for clean up may also be charged.

Industry Compliance Schemes
There are two industry compliance schemes which not only will track the movement of tyres from when they are placed on the market until sold to end users, but more importantly to trace waste tyres from the time they are discarded until they are either reused or reprocessed for recycling.

Tyre Recovery Activity Compliance Scheme Ltd. ( TRACS )
U25, Guinness Enterprise Centre
Taylor's Lane,
Dublin 8
Ireland.
http://www.tracsireland.ie
Tel: + 353 (0)1 4100 601
Fax: + 353 (0)1 4100 550

Tyre Waste Management Ltd (TWM)
Duane House
Islanduane
Mungret
Co Limerick
www.twm.ie
Tel: 061 305889

Registration with your Local Authority

An exemption from these obligations is available to persons who participate in a voluntary compliance scheme operated by an approved body.

However, if you supply tyres to the Irish Market, whether as manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers, traders, or retailers or you are involved in the collection of waste tyres and are not a member of an approved compliance scheme, then you must register annually with your Local Authority, and pay annual registration and re-registration fees. Detailed reporting on quantities of tyres placed on the market or taken in since January 1st 2008 must be made to your Local Authority. Registration forms are available below or from the Environment Department of Carlow County Council by contacting 059-9136230. For additional information visit the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government website.

  1. Application form - producer registration [word 303kb]
  2. Application from - supplier registration [word 282 kb]

What are the registration fees

  1. Producers: €25 per tonne of tyres supplied in the functional area of the local authority concerned; minimum fee of €750.
  2. Suppliers (e.g. wholesalers / retailers): €100 in respect of each premises.
  3. Authorised Waste Collectors: €100 in respect of each premises.
  4. Farmers: €20 in respect of each farm.
    How do these new waste tyre regulations affect farmers [word 44kb]

Packaging Regulations

The Act and the regulations make it a requirement for businesses to separate and recycle all their recyclable packaging waste.

Those classed as producers of packaging are all persons who in the course of business supply packaging material, packaging, or packaged products e.g. shops, pubs, supermarkets, fast food outlets, wholesalers, manufacturers, importers, exporters. All such are referred to as 'producers' or 'major producers' of packaging and thus are bound by the regulations.

Packaging Regulations General Advice

  1. Segregate all your waste by material. For example, used cardboard boxes, glass and steel.
  2. Arrange a suitable, secure space to store your recyclables. If you do not have enough storage spaces try to arrange a more frequent collection or delivery.
  3. Ensure that all staff are trained and thoroughly familiar with the procedures for dealing with waste.
  4. If possible bale the separated material. This will reduce the amount of space your waste takes up and will make it more attractive to a waste collector. If your volumes of waste are too small to justify a collection, perhaps you could pool your waste with another commercial or industrial outlet.
  5. Keep your waste disposal and recycling costs down by keeping your waste to a minimum. Minimise and re-use as much of your waste as you can. Find out what your suppliers are doing to reduce the amount of packaging waste you receive. Perhaps they will take back some items for re-use.

Packaging Regulation Costs

It should be borne in mind that recycling will cost money and that market prices will fluctuate. To return to a situation where re-usable materials are dumped is completely unacceptable.

For some materials that have a high value you may be paid, e.g. aluminium cans. For others, a collection service may be provided free of charge as the cost of collection is almost as high as the value of the returned material. In some cases there may be a cost to you if the material is difficult or expensive to sort e.g. timber.

Packaging Regulation Downloads

  1. Guidance on Waste Management Packaging Regulations 2007 [ pdf 16kb ]