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Consultation on Section 60 Policy Direction

Consultation on Section 60 Policy Direction on a proposed cap to incineration capacity as a proportion of municipal waste arisings (MSW) and other matters.

Note: Closing date extended to Friday 31st July 2009 (17:30)

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government recently arranged for environmental consultants to prepare an Environmental Report, according to Strategic Environmental Assessment requirements, to inform the policy making process for waste management in respect of a proposed Section 60 policy direction to achieve the following objectives:

  • to ensure that incineration capacity does not reach a level such that waste is drawn to incineration which could have been dealt with by prevention, reuse, recycling, composting/anaerobic digestion of source segregated biowaste, MBT or other methods higher up the waste hierarchy
  • to ensure that the waste hierarchy is complied with in that local authorities, as waste management authorities, do not direct holders of waste to deliver it to lower elements in the waste hierarchy, thereby preventing them acting in support of waste management options at the bottom of the hierarchy;
  • to ensure that the waste hierarchy is complied with in that local authorities, as waste management authorities, could direct holders of waste to deliver it to higher elements in the waste hierarchy, thereby encouraging them to act in support of waste management options at the top of the hierarchy;
  • to minimise the air pollution arising from trucks accessing waste facilities in built-up areas;
  • to ensure appropriate monitoring of air pollution in the vicinity of major waste facilities;
  • to reduce air soil and water pollution from incineration and comply with the Stockholm Convention


In advance of finalising the Strategic Environmental Assessment comments on the report’s recommendations are invited from relevant stakeholders and any other interested parties.


Section 60 Policy Direction Capping Incineration of Municipal Waste and Other Matters - Consultation Document  (doc, 20,579kb)


Comments should be submitted by email or by post to the address below and before Friday 17 July 2009. Please be advised that following requests from a number of key stakeholders for an extension to the public consultation period, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government has determined that all submissions which are received by close of business (17.30) Friday 31 July 2009 in respect of the Environment Report will be taken into consideration before the finalisation of the direction


by email: evelyn_downes@environ.ie

by post:      Ms. Evelyn Downes,
Waste Policy: Review and Regulation Section,
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,
Custom House, Dublin 1.

Please note that all submissions and comments submitted to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for this purpose are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 and 2003.