A new type of bin will become more visible along Dundalk streets from this week, as it becomes compulsory for households to use.
The brown bin is for disposing of household food waste in large urban areas and as well as Dundalk, it will also be introduced in Drogheda and Navan.
The new ‘Household Food and Bio-Waste Regulations, which came into effect for these areas yesterday, require that all householders in the likes of Dundalk must separate their food waste and make it available for conversion into compost.
Although these regulations will apply to those urban areas with populations greater than 25,000 persons first, there will be a phased-in approach, with the service also becoming available to those in smaller urban centres over the next three years.
This was the topic for discussion at a recent meeting of the waste collectors in the North East region with Louth and Meath County Councils.
“The purpose of the Regulations is to divert food waste, which is biodegradable, away from landfill, where it causes odour and nuisance, to facilities which are authorised to treat it and turn it into a high quality compost”, according to Aisling Sheridan, Environmental Awareness Officer with Louth County Council, “Apart from being the ‘right’ thing to do, this is a necessary step for Ireland Inc. in order to achieve compliance with the EU Landfill Directive and to prevent onerous financial penalties being imposed by the European Union”.
For the householder, this means that they must separate their food waste and ensure that it is not placed in the ‘black’ bin or residual waste collection. A ‘Brown’ bin, for food waste, will be offered to all householders in Dundalk, Drogheda and Navan, by their relevant waste collectors, over the next few weeks, but if for any reason, they are not contacted, it is important that these individuals contact their waste collector themselves to find out what arrangements are in place for their area. Each householder should also receive a letter from their local County Council outlining these requirements, which will be issued via their individual waste collectors.
“Under these regulations, those who place their food waste in the residual ‘black’ bin or use a macerator or other shredding device to dispose of food waste, will be deemed to be in non-compliance with the legislation and may be subject to a fine of €4000 or court proceedings”, according to Raymond Mc Kenna, Senior Engineer with Louth County Council.
“In any event, the Local Authorities, as the enforcing bodies for this legislation, will be active in making sure that all householders in the designated areas comply with the legislation,” he said.
Over the next three years, the service will be extended to all those living in the urban areas of Louth and Meath, with those in population centres of greater than 500 people being the last groups to benefit by July 2016.
Anyone with queries on the introduction of the service should contact either their own waste collector or their local County Council. Information is also provided on both local authority websites, www.louthcoco.ie and www.meathcoco.ie.
