COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, February 14, 2011

QUESTION NO. 19

QUESTION: Councillor E. Tuffy

To ask the Manager if he will provide members with data that show, on an Electoral Area Basis, trends in presentation rates of Black and Brown Bins since the full implementation of the Brown Bin Service, and if he can advise members on how this Council is in compliance with the Government order requiring reduction of waste presented for land fill, and if he can provide compatative information for other local authorities, including LAs which have outsourced their household waste collection system, and LAs which have not?  

REPLY:

Comprehensive data on the presentation rates of black and brown bins on an Electoral Area Basis since the introduction of the brown bin will be circulated to the Members - this involves a comprehensive gathering of data - and this will show the tonnages of biodegradable waste diverted from landfill consistent with EU, National and Regional Policy, by regulatory requirements arising from the EU Landfill Directive. 

During the three months October to December, 2010 there were approximately 210,000 black bins presented for collection in comparison with in the region of 78,000 brown bins presented while the respective tonnages collected were of the order of 8,200 tonnes of “black” waste and just over 1,500 tonnes of brown waste.  It should be noted brown bin waste would necessarily be lower during the winter months due to limited organic garden waste requiring disposal during that period.  This data is captured on a route by route basis rather than by local electoral area, with routes criss-crossing local electoral areas in many instances.

This Council's roll out of brown bins was completed in September 2010, and since then the required diversion of biodegradable waste away from landfill has been achieved as required by the landfill directive.  The EPA system for monitoring and reporting of diversion of biodegradable municipal waste is based on the type of waste collected and sent on to landfill.  As all domestic waste collected by this Council is from a three bin collection system it is deemed to contain 47% BMW (Biodegradable Municipal Waste) and therefore can be accepted at landfill with no further treatment required.  Waste accepted at landfill and originating from a three bin collection system is in compliance with the landfill directive which was why it was essential that the Council introduced a brown bin system by July of 2010.

The annual EPA returns will detail comparative information for all Local Authorities in their annual National Waste Report but the 2010 data is not yet compiled and is unlikely to be available for some time given that the 2009 Report is not yet completed (data will be available on www.epa.ie when compiled).