Policy Background in Northern Ireland
Waste Management Strategy for Northern Ireland
The purpose of this document is to set out a Waste Management Strategy for Northern Ireland in execution of requirements set out in the EC Waste Framework Directive.
The strategy proposes a long-term vision for the future enhancement of waste management practices in Northern Ireland and provides the structure to facilitate this to become reality.
The key purpose of this strategy is to attain fully sustainable Waste Management. This means using material resources more efficiently to cut down on the amount of waste produced. Where waste is generated, it means dealing with it in a way which minimises impacts on the environment and contributes positively to economic and social development.
The Department of the Environment will take the lead in implementing the Strategy in conjunction with all major stakeholder groups. This will make a major contribution to safeguarding the environment and promoting resource efficiency and economic growth.
The Strategy contains the Departments policies in relation to the reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal of waste, and is a statutory document under Article 19 of the Waste & Containment Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. It provides direction for transforming waste management practices in Northern Ireland; acts as the framework for the preparation of Waste Management plans by District Councils; and is a material consideration in determining planning applications and appeals.
The strategy presents a series of Policy Statements (PPS11) and provisional targets which outline an agreed way forward. A review will be carried out in 2003 to assess the effectiveness of the Strategy, the level of response by stakeholder groups, and establish, through consultation, any necessary updates and revisions. It is intended that provisional targets will become mandatory following that review.
The strategy has been developed within the context of the UK Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy (1), which has four main principles:
§ Social progress which meets the needs of everyone;
§ effective protection of the environment;
§ prudent use of natural resources; and
§ maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.
The key objectives of the Strategy are:
§ To reduce the quantities of waste generated and maximise Reuse, Recycling and Recovery of those materials which enter the waste stream.
§ To ensure that waste is managed with minimum impact on the environment and public health.
§ To put in place a framework for preparation of joint Waste Management Plans, and develop an integrated network of regional waste management facilities which are cost effective to the public.
§ To attract investment, support economic development and create opportunities for increased employment and wealth creation.
§ To demonstrate leadership by adopting and promoting more sustainable practices for resource consumption and waste management.
§ To put in place a regulatory framework which supports those businesses who actively work towards more efficient and sustainable use of resources.
§ To provide the public with increased opportunity to contribute to environmental protection at the individual and household level.
The interesting issue here is that there are no official targets to aim for, percentages are not mentioned but emphasised which in some circles could be seen as a major lack of commitment by those with authority, i.e. the government.
The Waste Management Strategy is a material consideration in assessing planning applications. The Environment and Heritage Service will advise Planning Service on the contribution which planning proposals can make to the achievement of the Waste Management Strategy, taking account of the following considerations:
1) Waste management projects which form part of a co-ordinated, regional or sub-regional waste management plan.
2) Prior to the establishment of an integrated network of regional facilities which the Department considers:
a) Provide essential interim capacity;
b) Are likely to form part of a co-ordinated, regional or sub-regional network; and
c) As far as possible, do not lead to an increase in the number of active landfill sites.
3) Strategic facilities which are well located in spatial terms;
4) Facilities which take all appropriate measure to avoid environmental impact and public nuisance;
5) Waste Management projects which contribute positively to increasing leaves of Recycling and Recovery; and
6) Landfill projects which restore old mineral workings to a beneficial use where this is the Best Practical Environmental Option (BPEP).
(Waste Management Strategy for N.I. 2000)
The writer is somewhat critical of the issues outlined above. Policy formulators have long since understood the concept of accountability. There seems to be a situation where terms are unspecific and cannot be quantitatively developed, terms or words, such as co-ordinated, integrated, appropriate, contribute, beneficial, etc. This limits the scope in which policy can be implemented. It also leaves a large responsibility on the local authority. Policy which has been formulated with the specific role of helping local authorities begin to establish and develop sustainable practices has no real help to provide in terms of starting points or what and when to begin the evolution of these practices. An argument against this view may be that there is no starting point for sustainable practices as each authority’s circumstances may differ, however it is the writers’ opinion that local authorities, need more specific guidance, with more conviction in terms of their goals. For example in the afore mentioned guidelines there is no mention of the urban-rural balance, one of the most fundamental concepts of the modern world.
PPS11 Planning & Waste Management
This PPS sets out the Planning Services policies for the development of Waste Management facilities. It seeks to promote the highest environmental standards in development proposals for waste management facilities and includes guidance on the issues likely to be considered in the determination of planning applications. In addition, it explains the relationship between the planning system and the authorities responsible for the regulation and management of waste.
The Department of the Environment is responsible for planning control and the regulation of waste management in Northern Ireland. The Planning Service, an Agency within the Department, administers its planning functions. The Environment and Heritage Service, another agency within the Department, is currently the regulatory body that monitors and enforces environmental standard in relation to pollution control throughout Northern Ireland.
The department has a statutory duty, laid down in Article 3 of the Planning Order 1991 to formulation and coordinate police for securing the orderly and consistent development of land and the planning of that development.
Relevant EC Directives, the Regional Development Strategy (RDS), and the EHS’s Waste Management Strategy for Northern Ireland (WMS) prove a strong directional framework and context for this Planning Policy Statement. The major issue in this document has to be the links between planning and Waste Management. It must be remembered that the Planning Service does not have active powers, in many ways it has negative powers i.e. that is has the power to refuse only, it cannot instigate development, it can only guide. This document is somewhat of a handbook of the Waste Management Strategy (PPS 11).
Other Relevant Documents in Northern Ireland
Regional Development Strategy (RDS)
Shaping Our Future: The Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland 2025 (RDS) provides an overarching, strategic policy framework to guide the future development of Northern Ireland until 2025. The strategy aims to encourage a balanced and equitable pattern of sustainable development across Northern Ireland.
The RDS promotes the development of a
Waste Management Strategy for Northern Ireland and sets the following
guidelines for the development of policy for waste management, for the location
of waste treatment and for waste disposal facilities. The RDS also encourages
authorities to:
Work in partnership with industry to create an economy based on sustainable waste management practices, supporting and influencing opportunities for reducing the amount of waste generated;
Provide an extensive network of Recycling, Recovery and secondary materials, manufacturing facilities, and develop an integrated regional network of a limited number of Landfill sites, closely related to the key transport corridors to minimise environmental impacts on residential neighbourhoods and tranquil rural areas; and locate waste treatment facilities on a limited number of key sites conveniently related to the major centres of urban waste production (PPS 11).
RTPI Planning and Waste Management Response to PPS 11
The Institute concurs strongly that the planning system has a “key role in determining the location of waste management facilities and in providing a process by which the public and their elected representatives can participate in the discussion and choice of appropriate sites”. A new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) to provide a clear and succinct framework for use by waste planners and providers, local authorities, and the interested public will be a valuable step towards redressing the current management and infrastructure inadequacies in Northern Ireland. It is important that the planning system is not seen to be supporting the development of this very important sector while at the same time ensuring that the highest levels of public health and environmental protection are ensured.
In particular, it is hoped that the planning system will inform and work with the waste management planning framework being set up under the terms of the Waste Containment Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. However, Waste Management has an inescapable locational dimension. If this is not incorporated in land-use plans, waste management will not have been adequately addressed. Waste Management proposals are consistently perceived as “bad neighbour” developments and the Institute fully sympathises with reluctance on the part of the planning authorities to try and incorporate potential sites in the development plan.
Local communities should be involved in the preparation of waste management plans and in their incorporation into the spatial guidance given in the local development plan. It has been widely demonstrated, in other European Countries, that the public discussion of plans and proposals is a key prerequisite to the successful introduction of complex, modern waste minimisation and management systems. This should contribute to the facilitation of the development control process. Development control can then be based on criteria which ensure standards and guide detailed location and design. It is the mechanism through which local communities should be able to feel that their concerns about detailed impacts will be fully addressed. Much of the information given in the section on development control would generally be more appropriate to an annex or to a separate Development Control Advice Note (DCAN). The latter could clearly spell out the circumstances under which planning permission is required, requirements for environmental impact assessment and the relationship between the planning and pollution control systems.
IPI Planning and Waste Management Guiding Principles
In this paper the Irish Planning Policy Panel of the Royal Town Planning institute sets out key principles and recommendations for planning for Waste Management infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Background information on the scale of waste generation, regulatory frameworks in both jurisdictions and international experience is set out in the appendices. The following points are made with respect to planning for the management of solid waste. However, the principles involved are relevant to wider considerations of resource management. It is to be hoped therefore that growing attention will be given to the development of innovative solutions to problems arising from whole spectrums of wastes, for instance sewage and air pollutants such as carbon dioxide. This Institute strongly supports an integrated approach to resource management that brings together environmental, social and economic objectives.
DEFRA Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies
This strategy describes a vision for managing waste and resources more efficiently. It sets out the changes needed to deliver more sustainable development. Planners must tackle the quantity of waste produced, breaking the link between economic growth and increased waste. Household waste is growing by around 3% each year. If this growth rate continues, people will need nearly twice as many new Waste Management facilities by 2020 as they would if the amount of waste produced remained constant. This would increase pressures on the land available for development, and government do not believe it will be acceptable to the public. This is not a problem with a single easy solution. Businesses, households, the community sector and local authorities must all play their part. Where waste is created the public must increasingly put it to good use, through Recycling, Composting or using as a fuel.
Much of the waste comes from industry and commerce. Just over a third of that is already recycled or composted, and a further smaller proportion has energy recovered from it. But much more is possible and the Landfill Tax Escalator announced in the United Kingdom 2002 budget will help government achieve more success in these sectors.
Governments target was, by 2005, to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste land-filled to 85% of 1998 levels. In meeting this target government has had to focus more on recovering value and reducing environmental impacts. This meant not only putting waste materials to better use, but also tackling any growth in waste.
Household waste is a relatively small part of the overall waste stream, but it is important that people make significant progress towards managing it more sustainability. At present, just 9% is recycled and a further 8% has energy recovered from it. The more problematic waste is at present, fridges, freezers, heavy industrial and end of life vehicles.
The government has set challenging targets to increase the recycling of municipal waste. These are;
§ To recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste by 2005
§ To recycle of compost at least 30% of household waste by 2010
§ To recycle of compost at least 33% of household waste by 2015
In order to ensure that all local authorities contribute to achieving these targets, the government will set statutory performance standards for local authority recycling throughout the UK. Local authorities need to make significant strides in recycling and composting to meet these new statutory standards. The standards will be part of the existing Best Value framework which requires local authorities to set challenging targets to improve waste management services. Government will work with local authorities to pilot schemes encouraging householders to reduce waste, and to participate in recycling schemes (DEFRA).