Towards a Zero Waste Society

Policy: Waste

Links to: Climate Change, Heritage, Housing, Nuclear Issues, Planning, Waste Management and Water Quality

Towards a Zero Waste Society - Zero Waste Policy Adopted 25 November 2004

Contents

Preamble

Executive Summary

Introduction

1.0 The waste crisis in Ireland

2.0 Current unsustainable approaches to waste management

2.1 Landfill

2.2 Incineration

2.3 Waste and Climate Change

3.0 Introducing the Zero Waste model

3.1 Waste as a resource: creating wealth from waste

3.2 The target of Zero Waste

3.3 Phasing out of landfills

3.4 Repair, Re-use

3.5 Recycling

3.6 Composting

3.7 Hazardous waste

3.8 Agricultural Waste

3.9 Construction & Demolition Waste

3.10 Zero Waste & Climate Change

4.0 Successfully implementing a Zero Waste model

4.1 Community involvement & Zero Waste

4.2 National Government & Zero Waste

4.3 Local Government & Zero Waste

4.4 Business and industry & Zero Waste

5.0 Examples of Zero waste models internationally

5.1 Implementation of Zero Waste in other countries

5.2 Positive examples from industry

5.3 Zero Waste & Commercial Competitiveness

6.0 Conclusion

Final Draft, adopted by National Council on 21/2/04

Chair of Waste Policy Group: Deirdre de Burca

Contributors to Waste Policy : Dominick Donnelly, Caroline Robinson, Cllr Mary White, Richard Auler, Jack O'Sullivan

Preamble

This Government’s Waste Management performance
The performance of this Government in relation to waste management nationally since it came into office in 1997 has been nothing short of disastrous. Progress towards achieving the 2013 national targets set by Government in its 1998 strategy document “ Waste Management – Changing our Ways” has been unacceptably slow.

(1) National waste data for 2001
The most up-to-date national data on progress with regard to these targets is contained within the EPA’s National Waste Database Report 2001. This report clarifies that while Government 1998 waste management targets included a diversion of 50% of overall household waste away from landfill by2013, only 5.6% of household waste was recovered by 2001. Other Government targets included a minimum 65% reduction in biodegradable (organic) wastes consigned to landfill by 2013. However, in 2001, 1,250,048 tonnes of organic waste, excluding wood, were land-filled – a quantitative increase of 20.3% between 1998 and 2001. Overall, the total quantity of municipal (household, commercial and street cleansing) waste generated increased by 31.5% from 2,056,652 tonnes in 1998 to 2,704,035 tonnes in 2001. The report also noted that the generation of construction and demolition waste had increased by 35% from 2,704,958 tonnes in 1998 to 3,651,411 tonnes in 2001. A national target for the recycling of construction and demolition waste of 50% by 2003 was set by the Government in 1998., with a progressive increase to at least 85% recycling by 2013. The EPA reported that in 2001, a “best estimate” of 65.4% of C&D waste was recovered. However, this figure is highly questionable given the extent of the illegal dumping of C&D waste around the country. The report called for “improved information on construction and demolition waste disposal and recovery” in order to “improve confidence in construction and demolition waste generation, recovery and disposal data” (pg 38).

The EPA’s 2001 report noted that 48,402 tonnes of hazardous waste were unreported in that year. It also noted that the illegal export of waste had come to light as a significant problem in 2002 in the form of mis-classified hazardous wastes being exported without authorisation and mixed municipal (household and commercial) waste being exported without authorisation. The report also noted an inconsistency between a reported generation of 6,652 tonnes of hazardous healthcare waste in nine local authority areas in 2001, and the reported treatment and export of 6,471 tonnes of hazardous healthcare waste, by waste contractors. The report suggests that the source of the discrepancy was probably in part due to the misclassification of land-filled healthcare waste by health institutions or local authorities. The report also noted the wide variance in the quality of waste information provided by local authorities and highlighted the need for “ a consistent and uniform waste information management system and reporting methodology for use by all local authorities”(pg 83). The problem with retrieving waste data from public and private organisations was also commented upon.

(2) EPA Report 2002
The EPA’s “Environment in Focus 2002 – Key Environmental Indicators for Ireland” stated that almost 2.3 million tonnes of household and commercial waste were generated in Ireland in 2000 – representing an increase of almost 62 % in the five years since the current Government was first elected. The report estimated that almost 600 kg of waste is being generated by each person in the State every year. It concluded that landfill remains the main disposal route accounting for 87.8 % of the household and commercial waste stream, with only 12.2 % of such waste being recycled.

(3) Progress in relation to Government’s 1998 waste policy objectives
The Government has made little progress on key waste management policy commitments contained in its 2002 waste policy document “Preventing and Recycling Waste – Delivering Change”. These commitments include, amongst others, (i) the establishment of a National Waste Management Board to co-ordinate, monitor, review and advise the Government on all aspects of waste management policy (ii) the establishment of a National Waste Prevention Programme to achieve waste prevention and minimisation, and the establishment of a Core Prevention Team within the EPA to drive this programme forward (iii) the establishment of a Recycling Consultative Forum to act as a consultative and advisory body on all aspects of recycling (iv) the establishment of a Market Development Programme to identify and promote markets for recyclable material (v) the establishment of a Producer Responsibility Unit within the EPA (vi) the drawing up of a public service waste management programme(vii) the establishment of producer responsibility initiatives for end-of-life vehicles, waste electrical and electronic equipment, newsprint and tyres.

However, the launch in April 2004 of a five year report on Ireland’s waste management progress titled “Waste Management: Taking Stock and Moving Forward” by the Minister for the Environment, Martin Cullen, made it clear that little, if any, progress had been made in relation to many of the 2002 waste policy objectives. The 2004 report claims : “A National Waste Prevention Programme is being launched with immediate effect – it will be led by a Core Prevention Team within the EPA and 2 million euros is being provided from the Environment Fund for its initial operations” (pg 2). No explanation is given as to why a period of two yearshas elapsed since this policy commitment was first made in the 2002 waste strategy document – a period during which the volumes of waste generated in this country continued to grow at an alarming rate - and why the National Waste Prevention Programme was not implemented during that time. The 2004 report also states : “the development of markets for recyclable materials is to be taken forward under the aegis of a Market Development Group to be established with immediate effects”. Again no explanation is provided as to why this waste policy commitment was not acted upon over the two- year period since the “Preventing and Recycling Waste- Delivering Change” document was launched. The 2002 target of establishing a Recycling Consultative Forum to act as a consultative body on all aspects of recycling has not yet been met. The critically important policy objective of developing a public service waste management programme has not been achieved, although a Green Government Guide has been issued by the Department of the Environment.

(4) Government commitment to delivering on incineration
According to Minister Cullen at the launch of the 2004 waste progress report, the most significant failure in terms of the national waste management strategy to date has not been the unacceptably high levels of waste generation since this government first came into office in 1997, nor the extremely low levels of recycling achieved nationally, but, rather, the failure to deliver on incinerators in the six regions due to have such facilities in operation or at construction by early 2004. According to the 2004 report, the Dublin and South-East regions are in the process of identifying private companies to build and operate incinerators, the Connaught and Kerry/Limerick/Clare regions have reported “no significant progress” while the Midlands is at a very early stage of pre-planning. The other regions were reported to have no definitive plans yet. The Minister went so far as to threaten that regions that block the construction of incinerators could “suffer economically” (Irish Times 6/4/04).

Minister Cullen also disclosed, in response to a Parliamentary Question submitted by Deputy Trevor Sargent in April 2004 seeking a progress update on the Government’s 2002 objective of establishing a National Waste Management Board that: “the establishment of a separate national waste management board has been deferred as I consider that current requirements will be better served by direct political leadership of the process of implementing nationwide all regional and local waste management plans. I have made it clear, since assuming office as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, my determination to provide this leadership in a clear and proactive way”. The Minister’s explanation for abandoning a key waste policy objective adopted by his predecessor, Noel Dempsey, in 2002 is extremely unsatisfactory. The likely explanation for this change in policy would appear to be the Minister’s personal determination to ensure the development of seven regional incinerators in this country, and his unwillingness to let any waste advisory board potentially interfere with the achievement of that objective.

In fact, an Bord Pleanala’s decision to uphold the planning permission granted for two incinerators in this country was directly linked to the fact that such facilities are in line with Government policy. The Green Party is of the opinion that the planning process that has approved two incinerators to date in this country has been in breach of EU law, in particular the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive and Green Party MEP, Patricia Mc Kenna has made a formal complaint to the EU Commission with regard to this issue. With regard to the incinerators approved at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork and Duleek Co Meath, in both cases the Environmental Impact Statements supplied were found to be inadequate by the Inspectors who analysed them. The Inspector in the Cork incinerator case recommended refusal because, inter alia, of the potential public safety implications. The Inspector in the Meath case recommended refusal because, inter alia, of proximity to a school. In both cases, permission was granted by an Bord Pleanala on the basis of Government policy.

(5) Attack on Zero Waste strategy
Minister Cullen has attacked proponents of a “Zero Waste” accusing them of a “Paul Daniels” approach to waste management, and suggests that they pretend there is a magic wand somewhere that will make waste disappear. In fact, this accusation can be more accurately directed at Minister Cullen who is trying to convince the public that incinerators will magically make waste disappear, rather than converting it into other and much more toxic forms of waste that will have to be disposed of. The Minister’s comments about Zero Waste betray his own ignorance about the strategy. A Zero Waste model is gaining increasing support internationally and is being implemented in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and parts of the United States. This policy document sets out the compelling case for introducing a Zero Waste model in this country

Zero Waste Strategy : Executive Summary
· In Government, the Green Party commits itself to establishing a National Zero Waste Agency to co-ordinate Zero Waste activities. It will set a 20-year target for the achievement of Zero Waste in Ireland.

· The effective implementation of a Zero Waste approach will require the full co-operation of national government, local authorities, business & industry and the community. In order to achieve this, the Green Party will implement a comprehensive public awareness campaign, along with particular campaigns targeted at different sectors.

The Green Party approach to implementing a Zero Waste model contains three main elements :

(1) Waste prevention and minimisation.
Unlike other waste management approaches that nominally give primacy to waste prevention, a Zero Waste approach prioritises this area. In Government, the Green Party will :

Strengthen the provisions of the Waste Management Act 1996 to allow the Minister, by way of Regulation, to impose a range of duties on manufacturers, importers, and the waste management industry regarding product information, product specifications, proscribing materials etc.
Enshrine the concept of Producers Responsibility Obligation in waste legislation and ensure that Product Life Cycle Plans are mandatory features of product design.
Promote the concept of Materials Productivity through obliging manufacturers and retailers to supply products in re-usable, refillable containers and through imposing a levy on packaging and products containing materials that cannot be re-used or recycled.
Increase funding for the Eco-Design Unit of EnterpriseIreland. We will promote Clean Production processes through upgrading the Clean Production Promotion Unit in University College Cork to National Clean Production Institute and through providing tax relief for companies that research and implement cleaner production technologies.
(2) Elimination of Waste Disposal
In Government, the Green Party will:

Place a moratorium on the incineration of waste.
Set a date for phasing out waste disposal to landfill and promote, as an interim measure, the use of Cleanfills or Residual Waste Landfills for dry, non-toxic, non-recyclable waste.
Introduce legislation requiring the mandatory source separation of all waste streams
Set a fixed date in the future for the implementation of a ban on mixed waste going to landfill
Set a fixed date in the future for the implementation of a ban on biological waste going to landfill
Introduce a progressive ban on toxic materials going to landfill
Introduce legislation and guidelines regarding the definition and management of Residual Waste landfills/Cleanfills
Introduce an increase in landfill charges and the ring-fencing of this revenue for a Zero Waste fund to be used for activities that will promote the attainment of the target of Zero Waste.
(3) Promotion of Re-use, Recycling & Composting
In Government the Green Party will:

Fast track the development of recycling infrastructure and central composting facilities nationally.
Establish a Recycling Department within the National Zero Waste Agency and a Recycling Task Force to negotiate recycling targets with different sectors of the economy.
Set up a Market Development Unit to promote new markets for recycled products.
Introduce a mandatory system of volume or weight-related charges for waste collection and introduce a system of tax credits for households that reduce the volumes of waste they leave out for disposal.
Introduce kerbside collection of recyclable materials nationally.
Launch a national ‘Buy Recycled ‘ campaign and set up an interactive national Electronic Resource Exchange network to provide a central database of available materials and to promote markets for recovered products.
Make Advance Disposal fees mandatory on certain goods and products and introduce Deposit Refund Schemes.
Implement a system of Green Government Purchasing that will form part of Government Departments’ and statutory bodies’ approach to meeting the recycling targets they have set for themselves.
The role of National Government in implementing a Zero Waste approach will include drafting legislation, introducing fiscal measures to stimulate a dynamic ‘waste economy’, implementing a Green Purchasing policy for Government and statutory agencies, and promoting national awareness-raising programmes.

The role of Local Authorities in a Zero Waste approach will include the provision of recycling and composting infrastructure, the introduction of volume or weight-related charging systems for waste collection, the retention of public control over waste services through tightly regulated contracts for the private sector and compliance with standardised national information and reporting systems.

The involvement of Business & Industry in a Zero Waste model will include complying with a mandatory system for separating commercial and industrial waste streams, providing return depots for used or damaged goods, investing in new product designs which substitute biological or renewable materials for non-renewable ones and switching over to clean production systems with tax relief from government.

The involvement of communities in a Zero Waste approach will include participating in community waste education programmes, taking part in ‘smart purchasing’ campaigns, responding to new eco-labelling systems, developing home composting systems to a greater extent, re-using and recycling goods, taking advantage of subsidies and grants for the establishment of small-scale community-based recycling enterprises and participating as community representatives in all key policy and decision-making bodies in the area of waste

Introduction
We need to respond quickly to the growing waste crisis now confronting Irish society. Rather than investing in expensive resource-destruction technologies, the Irish Government needs to adopt a more sustainable approach to the recovery of materials for re-use or recycling. In a natural eco-system, there is a balance where the wastes from one process become the resources for other processes. Nothing is wasted. In a consumer society, however, waste is an accepted part of life. The Green Party believes that we need to reverse this trend and to avoid leaving future generations with a horrific waste legacy.

The political alternative to the current “bury it or burn it” approach is to fundamentally change the system of production and consumption that produces “waste” in the first place. The Green Party supports a new model of “Zero Waste”. This is an innovative and environmentally responsible model that is being implemented internationally and offers exciting possibilities for the development of local economies based on recycling and materials recovery.

1.0 The waste crisis in Ireland
The current waste crisis in Ireland continues to grow. A report by Forfas in 2001 entitled “Key Waste Management Issues in Ireland” notes that one factor which sets Ireland apart from the majority other European member states is its above- average growth rate in waste production which is directly attributed to its increased economic prosperity. The report highlights that between 1995 and 1998, waste generation in Ireland increased by 89%. Additional data indicates that Irish citizens appear to produce far more waste than the European average; producing 576 kg of municipal waste, compared to a European average of 450 kg per person.

The EPA's National Waste Database Report 2001 provides a snapshot of waste management in Ireland at the end of 2001. The trend reflected is one of growing waste creation and a high dependence on landfill. The report states that in 2001 an estimated 17, 384,194 tonnes of waste, other than agricultural waste, were generated in Ireland. This represented an increase of 12.6% in the three years since 1998. According to the report, an estimated 2,704, 035 tonnes of municipal waste (household and commercial waste) were generated in 2001 representing an overall increase of 31.5% since 1998, and an average increase of 10.5% per annum.

The waste statistics in the EPA's 'Environment in Focus' Report 2002 also provide grim reading. The report describes the explosive growth in throwaway products and packaging over the past decade. The 88% of waste not being recycled (just over 2m tonnes) is going to landfill (EPA, 2002). In 2000, only 10.4 million tonnes of landfill space were available while an annual average of 2.3 million tonnes of municipal waste arose in that year, the equivalent of 600 kg per annum for each person in the State.

2.0 Current unsustainable responses to the waste crisis
Many of the subsidies currently available to the waste industry encourage large scale, centralised, capital-intensive, waste disposal facilities such as super-dumps or industrial incinerators. The Green Party is fundamentally opposed to the use of incineration as a waste management strategy. We see a role for 'residual landfills' as an interim strategy while a Zero Waste model is being implemented.

2.1 Landfill
The Green Party believes that the waste disposal strategy involving landfill represents an inappropriate response to the current waste crisis. Landfill remains the main method of waste disposal in Ireland. An estimated 8,277,598 tonnes of waste were consigned to authorised landfills in 2001 (EPA National Waste Database 2001). The Green Party opposes the use of landfill on the following grounds:

The EU Landfill Directive (Directive 2000/53/EC) requires member states to divert increasing amounts and types of wastes from landfills, including organic materials, recyclables, used tyres, end-of-life vehicles and untreated wastes generally.

There is widespread public opposition to new landfill sites.

Landfills are not harmless storage facilities for discarded material- they are bio-chemically active places where toxic substances are produced from mixed wastes, and gradually released into the surrounding environment over a period of decades, with potentially serious implications for the environment and public health.

Landfill gas contains trace amounts of carcinogenic volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, carbon tetrachloride, and others. An increased incidence of several types of cancer (bladder, lung, stomach, leukaemia, and rectum) has been reported in people living near landfills where landfill gas appears to be migrating through the soil. Irish health information systems do not provide for or support routine monitoring of the health of people living near waste disposal sites; and there is a serious lack of baseline environmental and health data around existing and planned landfill sites.

Landfill is a major source of the greenhouse gas, methane. In the UK, landfills account for more than a quarter of all methane produced (Murray R. 2002). For the EU as a whole the figure was 32% in 1999 ( European Environment Agency April 2001). Some larger landfills in other countries are capturing a percentage of the methane produced through waste decomposition and burning it to generate energy. However, the capture of methane from landfill waste decomposition is an inefficient way to recover the potential energy within organics. Typical capture rates are in the order of only 30-60% of the methane produced

Tourism, agriculture and food production are among Ireland's top earning industries, and they rely on the maintenance of a clean and green image to promote and sell Irish products into foreign markets. Plans for controversial or large-scale landfills, reports of negative environmental and public health impacts, and news of landfill related problems have the potential to seriously damage the country's image abroad;

The current charges for disposal of wastes to landfill do not yet reflect their external environmental costs, and they are set to rise further as land prices increase and landfills have to comply with more stringent environmental requirements. Landfill is therefore becoming an increasingly uneconomic option for society.

2.2 Incineration
The Green Party is opposed to incineration as a response to our waste crisis. Unlike many other European countries, Ireland does not yet use municipal waste incineration as a method of waste disposal. The Green Party believes that if this country is to embrace incineration, it will be damaging to us as a nation. The term “incineration” describes the combustion of waste materials, resulting in ash residues and emissions to the atmosphere. Gasification, pyrolysis and the production of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) are variations of incineration, while the term “waste-to-energy” describes an incinerator that incorporates the technology to capture some of the heat produced during the combustion process, and possibly to generate electric power from it.

Unfortunately, incineration has been dressed up in the new clothes of 'integrated waste management'. This policy is based on a simple forecasting model that predicts a maximum recycling level of around 40% and a continued increase in municipal waste generation. The 'integrated option' relies on incinerators, or other forms of thermal treatment, to deal with the large predicted residual waste stream. Integrated waste management policies supposedly give priority to waste minimisation but inevitably solve the 'disposal problem' through relying on incinerators. Incinerators can be justifiably viewed as locking society into a permanent cycle of waste generation and disposal. The capital investment required for incinerators and their demand for a constant stream of waste places a very real cap on minimisation, re-use and recycling of waste for at least a generation. Integrated waste management therefore is an obstacle to the radical new approach to waste that is urgently needed at this moment in time.

The Green Party is opposed to the use of incineration as a waste management strategy for the following reasons:

There is widespread and growing public opposition in Ireland to the proposed introduction of incinerators. The emissions of acid gases, mercury, dioxins and furans from incinerators have been the cause of significant and legitimate public concern. Evidence is continuing to grow about the negative public health effects of incineration. A growing body of research is indicating elevated levels of cancers in the vicinity of incineration plants, along with birth and developmental defects, and hormonal disruption, especially in children and teenagers (www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/reports/euincin.pdf).

Incineration is not an improvement on landfill. Incinerators do not eliminate waste - they merely transform the original waste materials (more appropriately considered as resources) into several new forms of waste: air emissions, toxic fly ash and bottom ash, and in some cases a liquid effluent from the flue gas cleaning process. Incineration will not successfully drive waste minimisation and recycling which are integral parts of a sustainable approach to the waste crisis.

Incinerators are dirty technologies. Few now dispute the toxicity of many of the substances produced by incinerators. In spite of repeated plant upgrades and the introduction of new flue gas treatment technologies, municipal incinerators and other forms of 'thermal waste treatment' remain at core dirty technologies.

Incinerators are inherently unsustainable, requiring a continuing supply of combustible wastes throughout their life cycles, usually in the form of long-term contractual agreements with local authorities guaranteeing a certain tonnage of waste per year to the incinerator. Communities are thereby locked into waste production rather than waste elimination.

Incinerators waste energy. Energy produced by thermal plants that recover the calorific value of waste is only a fraction of the energy that has gone into the production of the materials consumed. Far greater energy saving can be achieved by the production of recyclable goods.(Jeffrey Morris “Recycling versus Incineration : An Energy Conservation Analysis”, Journal of Hazardous Materials 47 1996)

Incinerators need landfills. Disposal of fly ash (and some bottom ash) from incinerators requires special landfills and extreme precautions if further problems are to be avoided. The use of bottom ash for road-making has been shown to be unacceptable, and there is no landfill in Ireland licensed or designated for the disposal of the toxic fly ash. The perceived dangers arising from the emission of dioxins and other toxicants to the atmosphere could have a serious negative effect on the marketability of agricultural produce within a 40 km radius of such plants, and this issue is of special importance in Ireland

An incinerator accident would be catastrophic. The possibility of human error ensures that there is no guarantee that a form of thermal treatment plant will operate at full efficiency, and accident free, at all times. Any significant accident resulting in emissions could cause widespread economic losses, adverse public health impacts, psychological disturbances and loss of confidence in locally produced food products.

2.3 Waste creation and climate change
Waste and climate change are linked in a number of direct and indirect ways.

(Climate Change & Waste: Reducing Waste can make a Difference, US EPA 2003) The high levels of energy involved in the ever-increasing production of materials and goods in industrialised countries contribute to global warming. The manufacture, distribution, and use of products - as well as management of the resulting waste - all involve energy use and result in greenhouse gas emissions. This wasteful consumption of materialswreaks havoc on our atmosphere and contributes to climate change. The United States consumed 30 percent of the materials produced globally in 1995, while it accounted for less than 5 percent of the world's population. Of all the materials used in products, only 1percent is used in products 'durable' enough to still be in use six months later, according to industrial ecologist Robert Ayres( ‘Natural Capitalism : Creating the next Industrial Revolution’, Hawken, P, Lovins, A, Hunter Lovins, H, Publishers: Little, Brown 1999)..

Landfills are the top human-caused source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, 21 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. 36 percent of human- caused methane released is produced by our municipal solid waste landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US Environmental Protection Agency “Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 1998 Update). Organic materials produce methane in landfills when they decompose without oxygen, under tons of garbage. A tonne of municipal solid waste landfilled produces 123 pounds of methane. (Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions & Sinks : 1990-1997, April 1999, EPA 236-R-99-003)

Some landfills operators try to recover methane. However, 60% is about the best level of recovery of methane being reported at most landfills. The growing international Zero Waste Movement Some landfills operators try to recover methane. However, 60% is about the best level of recovery of methane being reported at most landfills. The growing international is calling for radical resource efficiency and for policies that have the effect of eliminating rather than managing waste. These strategies will have major benefits for slowing climate change. Waste prevention and recycling are critical to addressing the damaging effects of climate change as these strategies reduce methane emissions, save energy, and increase forest carbon sequestration (ie the take up of carbon by forests).

3.0 Introducing a model of Zero Waste

3.1 Waste as a resource : creating wealth from waste
Zero Waste is a new policy framework that will no longer tolerate waste disposal as an acceptable policy response. Its focus is on treating discarded materials as ‘resources’ rather than as waste. Within a Zero Waste approach no material would be discarded as worthless. Instead a use would be found for it. This approach highlights the potential value of waste and the importance of phasing out the treatment of mixed waste streams. At present millions of tonnes of used products and packaging are all mixed together, called ‘waste’, and then buried or burned. Billions of tonnes of virgin materials are then extracted from the environment to make new products and packaging to replace those that have been destroyed. In contrast, a Zero Waste approach views waste as man-made reservoirs of recoverable materials that must be recycled in order to prevent further unsustainable extraction of resources and exploitation of raw materials. Used resources are seen as an economic asset rather than a liability. A Zero Waste approach aims to manageresources and eliminate waste.

Resource or materials productivity is becoming a major theme of environmental policy. This means redesigning products to extend their lifecycle and to ensure that they can be re-used or recycled many times over. Amory Lovins, one of the main advocates of the new ‘materials revolution’ sees the scope for using resources ten to a hundred times more productively, and increasing profitable opportunities inthe process(John Young, “The coming materials efficiency revolution” in B.K. Fishbein, JR Ehrenfeld, & J.E. Young, Extended Producer Responsibility; A Materials Policy for the 21st Century, Inform Inc.). A number of national and international bodies (including the OECD Council at Ministerial level) have proposed a goal of increasing materials productivity by a factor of ten within a generation, and the Austrian Government has adopted this within its National Environmental Plan. The equivalent Dutch plan has a more modest target of a four-fold increase in materials productivity, and the German one has a 2.5 fold improvement (G. Gardner and P.Sampat, ‘Mind over Matter: Recasting the role of materials in Our Lives’ World Watch paper 144, December 1998)

Implementing a Zero Waste approach will help communities to take control of a huge untapped, and increasingly valuable resource, and to create wealth from waste. The reuse of the vast quantities of separated materials that will come on-stream will present significant economic opportunities and also create a vibrant labour market. We are currently paying for the disposal to landfill of discarded materials that could be creating income and wealth through re-use, recycling, job creation, and saving on imports.

In Government the Green Party will :

Introduce legislation to prohibit the disposal or treatment of mixed waste streams after a specified date
Adopt a national goal of increasing materials productivity by a factor of four within a twenty year period, similar to the Dutch Government
Provide tax relief to businesses and industries who carry out research and development into redesigning products to extend their lifecycle
End cheap waste disposal and create a market-driven system that competes for the entire supply of discarded materials
3.2 The Target of ‘Zero Waste’
The term ‘Zero Waste’ has its origins in the highly successful Japanese industrial concept of Total Quality Management (TQM). It is influenced by ideas such as ‘zero defects’, the extraordinarily successful approach whereby producers like Toshiba have achieved results as low as one defect per million. Transferred to the arena of municipal waste, Zero Waste forces attention onto the whole life-cycle of products. Zero Waste involves producer responsibility, eco-design, waste minimisation, reuse and recycling. Waste generation is no more inevitable than homelessness, road fatalities or any number of challenges facing our society today. Targets are always more effective when there is a set timeframe within which to achieve them. While Zero Waste is a generational challenge (ie it took about 20 years to bring about a change in attitudes to smoking), it is important to set a deadline in order to be able to engage all stakeholders in society in a process that will involve redesigning our mindset, systems, legislation and technologies.

The reality is that societies can achieve up to 60% waste reduction in 3-5 years with currently available technologies (Zero Waste, Murray, R 2002 at www.greenpeace.org.uk/trust). By establishing a goal of Zero Waste, the public and private sectors can focus their creativity and resources on getting closer and closer to Zero Waste as part of a whole ‘materials revolution’ which will completely change the way that society thinks about waste. Paul Hawken in ‘The Ecology of Commerce’ argues that “instead of organising systems that efficiently dispose of, or recycle, our waste, we need to design systems of production that have little or no waste to begin with”. (The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, Hawken, P.. Harper Collins 1993). The Green Party believes that this aim is entirely within our capacity at the moment. There are no technical barriers to achieving a “zero waste society”, only our habits, greed and the economic structures that have been in place to date. We believe that it is well past time for a significant shift from the dark ages of waste disposal to a new era of Zero Waste.

In Government the Green Party will:

Set a twenty year target for the achievement of ‘Zero Waste’ in Ireland

3.3. Phasing out of landfills
The Zero Waste philosophy accepts that there will be a steadily shrinking residue of waste requiring disposal for some time into the future. Accepting the principle of ‘residual waste landfills’ does not mean that land-filling is an environmentally appropriate practice; such landfills should merely provide an interim measure while creativity and resources are focussed on finding innovative solutions to eliminate waste. Unfortunately the term ‘residual waste’ is currently used to describe mixed waste, much of which is recyclable. An immediate priority for a Zero Waste model is to bring about an end to the practice of land-filling mixed wet and dry waste. Considerable effort must also be directed towards improved landfill operation in terms of environmental protection and post-closure responsibility.

The aim of a Zero Waste policy is to gradually phase out the use of landfills for waste disposal. The historical under-pricing of waste disposal has encouraged an over-reliance on landfill in this country, but charges must begin to reflect the true cost of landfill operations. Proper environmentally engineered landfills that minimise risks to human health and the environment are an expensive waste management solution. The Green Party acknowledges that while landfill will continue to be required as a final waste management solution in the short to medium- term, this option should be continually diminishing in use and importance in this country. Green Party policy supports land-filling activities being restricted to residual quantities of dry, non-recyclable and non-compostable municipal solid wastes. These landfills will be needed to provide a means of dealing in the medium term with products that will be in production until they are replaced by products and materials that are designed to be re-used or recycled.The only long-term sustainable solution to the waste crisis we believe, is to completely eliminate the production of materials that cannot be re-used, recycled or naturally biodegraded

Cleanfill is a waste disposal solution supported by the Green Party

We support the use of Cleanfill as an interim alternative to landfill, as part of a process of phasing out landfill completely. Cleanfills are in use at present in New Zealand, and are used largely for the disposal of construction/ demolition and other inert, non-toxic waste (www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/waste/cleanfill-guide-jan02.pdf). Cleanfill material is defined as material that does not undergo any physical, chemical or biological transformations that will cause adverse environmental effects or health effects once it is placed in the ground. A simple definition of cleanfill is “material that when buried will have no adverse effect on people or the environment”. This material has no potentially hazardous content and must not be contaminated by, or mixed with any other non-cleanfill material. The Green Party sees the potential for Cleanfills to be used for essentially dry, non-toxic, non- recyclable waste. The advantages of such sites are that there is no need for leachate collection systems or gas control systems. The perennial problems linked to landfills, including odour, rats, seagulls and the pollution of local water courses by leachate, and which cause such difficulties for residents living next to them, do not apply where cleanfills are concerned. However, waste acceptance at these sites requires careful monitoring, as it can present an attractive option to irresponsible waste operators seeking to dispose of non-cleanfill waste at a lower cost.

In Government, the Green Party will:

Introduce legislation which will specify the conditions that will be met by ‘residual waste’ landfills, the kind of materials which can be accepted by such landfills and a target date by which these landfills will be phased out
Make the sterilisation of residual waste mandatory prior to landfilling it. This can be achieved through establishing modular mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plants, now widely used in Germany, Austria, Italy and Canada, that sort the remaining organics from the residual waste stream and compost them prior to landfill or digestion.
Commission a National Landfill Review and Audit to establish the extent of the landfill capacity remaining, the condition of the existing landfills and any risks posed by them.
Commission research into environmental and public health impacts of landfill
Publish a Full Cost Accounting Guide for landfills including national guidelines for landfill fees that will reflect the true cost of landfill operations. Local authorities will be obliged to have regard to these guidelines in setting landfill charges.
Publish specific legislation on Closed and Closing landfills with which local authorities and the private sector will have to comply
Announce a future date after which a complete ban on the land-filling of mixed waste (wet & dry) will apply. Require local authorities to prioritise the development of closed composting facilities to cater for the organic waste that is to be diverted from landfill. Financial incentives to be provided for the private sector to do likewise.
Introduce a progressive ban on toxic materials going to landfill, in consultation with the sectors involved
Gradually restrict landfill activities to residual quantities of dry, non-recyclable and non-compostable municipal wastes over a specified period of time.
Publish National Guidelines on the definition and management, and licensing of Cleanfills.
Require all landfills to have a transfer station or sufficient storage space available to stockpile resources for a delimited period of time

3.4 Repair, Re-use, Recycling & Composting

3.4.1 Repair and Re-use
Re-use is the next preferred option on the waste hierarchy after prevention and minimisation as it avoids discarding a product or item when its initial use has been completed. In Ireland, there is no data on the amount of repairing which is undertaken to prolong the life of an appliance or product, or to enable it to be re-sold as a second-hand or used item. Repair avoids or reduces the need to purchase new products, saving resources and energy, creating socially useful employment, and retaining some wealth in the community. Re-use is environmentally better than recycling, as re-use does not require additional processing, which involves a need for further energy and raw materials.

Several factors have contributed to the decline of traditional re-use systems.

Increased automation and high labour costs, together with cheap or subsidised primary raw materials have placed dismantling, re-filling and refurbishment activities at a competitive disadvantage. An increasing emphasis on convenience, changes in personal life-styles and “built-in obsolescence” in product design have also contributed to the problem. The retail food industry is also becoming dominated by large supermarket chains that refuse to stock any product in re-usable and returnable containers. There is strong opposition to re-use and refilling of beverage containers, (e.g., bottles) by the packaging industry lobby group EUROPEN (European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment) and some opposition to the use of refillable beverage containers by the European Commission on the grounds that some Member States’ legislation (for example the Danish requirement that all domestic beer and soft drinks must be sold in refillable containers) violate trade agreements within the EU. In Ireland, Britain and France, refilling of beverage containers has almost disappeared. In Sweden, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, consumers can buy almost any type of beverages in refillable bottles. In Finland and Denmark, almost all beer, soft drinks and packaged water come in refillable containers. In Canada, where the beer industry invested in refillable glass bottles, 97% of bottles are returned to the producer for refilling

Economic disadvantages associated with re-use can be eliminated by economic or fiscal instruments which increase the cost of primary raw materials and waste disposal and the introduction of specific producer responsibility obligations. In this country, the 15-cent levy on plastic shopping bags was generally popular and extremely effective in reducing the use (and subsequent discarding) of disposable plastic bags and encouraging re-usable shopping bags. Among European countries that promote or require refilling of beverage containers, Finland has become one of the most successful by implementing a simple levy, which has survived challenges from the Finnish Competition Authority and the packaging industry. As a result, Finns consume 73 % of their beer and 98 % of their packaged soft drinks and mineral water from refillable bottles, and has prevented 380,000 tonnes of waste annually. In British Columbia, the Beverage Container Stewardship Programme Regulation requires all beverage brand owners of ready-to drink beverages to establish a province-wide return collection system for beverage containers under a deposit refund scheme. The regulation establishes the goal of a minimum 85% recovery rate and requires that redeemed containers be either refilled or recycled. In the US, recovery of beer and soda containers is higher in states with deposit refund schemes than in the rest of the country. In non-deposit refund states approximately 38% of beer and soda containers are recovered. In contrast 78% are recovered in states where these containers have a refund value (Grassroots Recycling Network, Wasting and Recycling in the United States 2000, Institute for Local Self Reliance, March 2000). Current Government policy in Ireland gives little encouragement to re-usable or refillable packaging, and appears to be limited to supporting EU initiatives and promoting voluntary action by the relevant sectors of industry.

In Government, the Green Party will:

Introduce a refundable deposit system on reusable/refillable containers (plastic bottles, aluminium cans etc.) and a levy on containers/ packaging that cannot be re-used or recycled.
Introduce legislation to oblige retailers to stock a greater percentage of products in re-usable and refillable containers
Provide start-up grants for businesses which wish to set up re-use/repair services

3.5 Recycling
The diversion of ‘waste materials’ from landfills for the purposes of recycling is an important element of a Zero waste approach. In Ireland in 2001 a total of 674,327tonnes of waste were recycled (out of a total of 17,384,194 tonnes of waste, excluding agricultural waste). Of this 45% was recycled in this country with the remaining 55% being sent abroad for processing (EPA National Waste Database Report 2001). The closure of ISPAT and the Irish Glass Bottle Company in 2002 dealt a severe blow to Ireland’s recycling capacity. Ireland currently does not have a high national recycling rate because we have underdeveloped markets for recycled materials. Some of our markets are monopolies, some are located abroad and some are prone to extreme price fluctuations, resulting in market instability and low reliability (EPA National Waste Database Report 2001).

It is clear that high waste reduction levels cannot be reached without the development of strong and stable markets for recycled materials. As recycling increases so the value of recovered materials assumes ever- greater importance in the economics of waste. This is a challenge for a sector previously insulated from the market. Some of the most advanced recycling programmes - such as that in WashingtonState in the USA - have established market development units, staffed with engineers and material specialists to identify and market new uses for recovered materials. Part of the solution lies in overcoming prejudices about the quality of recovered materials. Many recyclers produce high-quality materials and products but are hampered by perceptions that virgin materials are better.

Market development in recycling is a complex process that calls for the careful integration of government, the public, and private industry in a well-developed set of programmes and policies. Local authorities alone can be limited in their impact on market development because they do not have the authority or resources to seriously affect market decisions.

The costs involved in collecting, processing and transporting recycled materials to market compared to the prices that markets will pay for the materials once they get there, has led to a perception that recycling costs more than it’s worth. However, this view is based on an incomplete assessment of the real costs of virgin versus recycled materials. A series of studies including a study by Sound Resource Management Group for the Washington State Department of Ecology have concluded that kerbside recyclings’ environmental benefits outweigh its monetary costs (The Pollution Prevention and Biodiversity Enhancing Benefits of Curbside Recyling’ Morris, J. in ‘The Monthly Uneconomist’, Mar/April 2002, Vol 4, No 2 at www.recycleminnesota.org/images/200202.pdf). These benefits include avoided external costs of virgin materials use, reductions in air and water pollutant emissions associated with the use of virgin raw materials to manufacture products, global warming credits and reduced land use for landfills.

An effective way to motivate recycling and pay for it at the same time is to charge weight or volume-based users fees for residual waste collection, and set those user fees high enough on average to allow recycling collection services to be provided at no extra charge to waste collection customers. The study by SMRG estimated that bundling recycling costs into waste collection fees (ie providing recycling at no additional charge) improved recycling rates by over ten percentage points. Product deposits, advance disposal fees and other producer responsibility measures are also designed to internalise recycling costs into product prices, preferably at the product manufacturer level so that producers have an incentive to design and otherwise manage their products to minimise waste management costs at the end of their product’s life. In addition to direct financial methods to fund recycling, there are also regulatory measures- such as disposal bans, recycled-content product manufacturing requirements or buy recycled requirements – that can be effective at pushing or pulling recyclable materials out of the waste stream. With waste generators motivated to find ways to divert the banned materials from disposal, private sector service providers are able to charge fees that are sufficient to cover their costs of collecting and composting the remaining materials.

In Ireland, the recycling of municipal waste has typically averaged at about 10% (with some notable exceptions, such as Galway). However, the experience of recycling internationally has shown that targets play an extremely important role in stimulating the development of a recycling economy. In terms of achieving high recycling, targets should be ambitious – so called ‘stretch targets’ in order to encourage radical innovation. High recyclers have set ambitious targets – usually 50%, in the first instance, to be achieved within a decade. Many have found that they have reached that level more quickly and target dates have been brought forward- to five years and even less. In Guelph City, Canada the Wet/Dry collection system introduced in 1995 has produced very impressive results. In 1998, after only three years of operation, the Guelph Wet-Dry facility had diverted 58% of the municipal waste it had received (Resource Recycling Journal September 2000). In his book “Zero Waste” the UK-based industrial economist Robin Murray argues that individual municipalities find that they can reach 50% within two years of launching (‘Zero Waste’ Murray, R. 2002). He states that for places still in the early stages of recycling, reaching 50% diversion in five years is a reasonable first stage target in the light of current experience and techniques.

Behind the recycling targets set is the proposition that the expansion of recycling follows an S-curve. The curve describes the fact that after initial slow growth, the recycling rate can climb steeply to 50% and 60%, and then continue at a slower rate as waste reduces towards zero. It is a description of the growth of individual recycling programmes to date. The rationale reflects the Pareto Principle that a small number of cases are responsible for a large proportion (commonly 80%) of the effects. Behind the recycling targets set is the proposition that the expansion of recycling follows an S-curve. The curve describes the fact that after initial slow growth, the recycling rate can climb steeply to 50% and 60%, and then continue at a slower rate as waste reduces towards zero. It is a description of the growth of individual recycling programmes to date. The rationale reflects the Pareto Principle that a small number of cases are responsible for a large proportion (commonly 80%) of the effects. The rate of expansion slows as programmes have to deal with more difficult materials and less participative households

In Government, the Green Party will increase that the Government’s target of 35% to 50% recycling of municipal waste by 2013. We will achieve this target through implementing the following measures:

In Government, the Green Party will:

Introduce a mandatory system of source separation for different waste streams
Introduce legislation to ensure that the demolition of any building will require a plan for saving as much as possible of the material contained in it.
Speed up the process of diverting organic materials from landfills, by encouraging a wide range of composting facilities, from home based to town size.
Impose increasingly strict criteria for materials that will be allowed into the local authority’s landfills.
Ensure the development of a comprehensive recycling infrastructure in this country, including transfer stations (to dismantle all dry materials, separate them into recyclable streams and send them to appropriate recyclers and manufacturers) and dedicated recycling centres.
Make mandatory a provision for the curing (aerobically or anaerobically) of unavoidably mixed or contaminated waste prior to storage.
Provide financial assistance to local recycling, composting and other forms of “grassroots” recycling initiatives).
Develop national markets for recycled products through providing economic incentives and technological support.
Introduce legislation requiring all producers or importers of goods that are made from raw materials to pay a levy based on the type and proportion of the raw material in the finished product. All producers or importers of goods that are made from recycled materials will be subsidised based on the proportion of recycled material in the product marketed. All of the levies collected will be paid out again (revenue neutral), and the effect of the system will be to make re-use and recycling more attractive financially and commercially, and the creation of a national market for recycled materials.
Establish a Recycling Department within the National Zero Waste Agency with its own Market Development Units, staffed with engineers and material specialists to identify and market new uses for recovered materials
Launch a National Public Education Campaign on ‘Buy Recycled’.Local authorities will also be encouraged to promote “Buy Recycled” initiatives in their functional areas.
Make Advance Disposal fees mandatory on certain goods and products
Establish an interactive electronic Resource Exchange Network nationally to promote markets for recovered products, provide a central database of available materials and indicate their potential re-uses.
Set mandatory recycling targets for different sectors of business and industry

3.6 Composting
The Green Party supports the complete diversion of organic or biodegradeable waste from landfill and its composting and ultimate use as fertiliser for soil. We support the widespread promotion by local authorities of home composters to householders for the purposes of composting organic domestic waste. We also favour the provision of a network of central composting facilities in every local authority area. We advocate the use of Vertical Compost Units similar to those used in Waitakere, New Zealand. These units have a capacity of 14,000 tonnes per year, using ten chambers, which allow different qualities of materials to be processed separately. The technology was developed by micro-biologists in New Zealand. Temperatures reach at least 80 degrees, which encourages the development of pyrophilic bacteria that act as a bio-filter for the exhaust gases from the compost. As a result there is no odour so that the plants can be sited in dense urban areas, within 50 metres of housing. Since the equipment is modular it can be geared to the size of the area served. A single unit with a capacity of some 1,250 to 1,400 tonnes would service the organic waste from a town or urban estate of 5,000-10,000 households, and require an hour a day to maintain its operation. The Waitakere plant processes source- separated organics and garden waste from households, and catering scraps from a scheme run by the council for local shops and restaurants. It sells the compost to a local landscaping firm, which mixes it with topsoil for use in new housing developments. Plants of this kind have been recently established in the UK in Sheffield, North Lincolnshire and Bromley (‘Zero Waste’ Murray, R. 2002)

In Government, the Green Party will:

Launch a national public awareness campaign concerning the benefits of composting organic waste
Fund each local authorities to provide a free home composter to every home in its jurisdiction which has the capacity to store it..
Require local authorities to provide a network of closed central composting facilities in their areas
Require local authorities and private waste collectors to provide a doorstep collection service for organic waste (domestic and garden waste)
Provide grants and subsidies for private companies interested in setting up commercial composting facilities.

3.7 Hazardous waste
Hazardous waste is one of the waste streams that presents the greatest challenge in relation to waste management. Official figures for 2001 show that, excluding contaminated soil, reported hazardous waste generation increased by 9.6% from 250,531 tonnes in 1998 to 274,687 tonnes in 2001 (EPA National Waste Database 2001). Total hazardous waste generation increased by 33.3% in this period. Hazardous waste streams include waste oils, washing liquids, clinical waste, batteries, paint, asbestos, fluorescent tubes, PCB waste and pesticides amongst others. Contaminated soil was the single largest hazardous waste generated in 2001, and 168,579 tonnes were reported for this year. The second largest single hazardous waste type is organic solvents accounting for 131,361 tonnes in 2001. Unreported hazardous waste has decreased from 74,311 tonnes in 1998 to 48,402 tonnes in 2001. However, this remains an unacceptably high level of hazardous waste that cannot be officially accounted for.

Under a Zero Waste approach, the first steps that the Green Party will take in Government will be to implement a moratorium on the incineration of all toxic and hazardous wastes until all the possible alternatives have been explored to their full potential. We will require the Environmental Protection Agency to establish accurate, complete, quantitative and qualitative listings of all toxic and hazardous wastes accruing, including existing stockpiles. We will also establish a Toxic Use Reduction Agency, which could be an amalgamation of the Enterprise Ireland Eco-Design unit, the Clean Technology Centre in Cork Institute of Technology and the Clean Production Promotion Unit in University College Cork. This Agency will be equipped with the best expertise available internationally in the minimisation of the use of toxic materials. Government and industry will jointly fund this agency. It will be made mandatory that every new production procedure using toxic materials is be approved by this agency as using the best practicable environmental option. This agency will also examine, in both environmental and economic terms, all the various solution options for the toxic waste streams in the complete list, and implement a strategy for dealing with those streams within the realms of public and corporate accountability.

We will establish a centralised national toxic and hazardous waste remediation facility, for the fractions that remain after toxic use reduction and clean production have been implemented. This will focus on materials recovery and reuse for segregated waste streams, including solvent recovery. This will be a joint project between Government and those industries producing the toxic and hazardous wastes. From this facility certain waste streams will continue to be exported for remediation and recovery abroad, as a sufficient critical mass would not exist in this country to require special national hazardous waste facilities to be developed. We will ensure that it will be mandatory under IPC / IPPC licensing to eliminate, or reduce as much as possible, the cross-contamination of toxic waste materials, so that the segregated materials can be dealt with in the most appropriate way for each material. We will give tax incentives and grants to encourage clean production and toxic use minimisation. We will make all IDA, EnterpriseIreland, and Forfás, support contingent on theindustries following the best practicable environmental option as defined by the EPA and the Toxic Use Reduction Agency.

We will substantially increase the EPA’s funding, by increasing the cost of IPC / IPPC licences. This funding will be used to properly monitor and police those licences, with heavy fines for any breaches. The EPA will continue to encourage, and enforce where necessary, clean production and toxic use reduction when issuing IPC / IPPC licences. We will require the establishment of a complete toxic release inventory database, modelled on the OECD initiative on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers. This database will be easily accessible by the public, thus satisfying the community’s right to know. We will implement the use of alkaline hydrolysis to treat hazardous wastes such as specified risk material from the meat industry and certain medical wastes. Finally we will fund substantial research, through the Toxic Use Reduction Agency, on new techniques and processes that would eliminate the use of toxic materials, or would neutralise the long term effects of toxic materials.

In Government the Green Party will:

Implement a moratorium on the incineration of all toxic and hazardous wastes until all the possible alternatives have been explored to their full potential
Require the EPA to establish accurate, complete, quantitative and qualitative listings of all toxic and hazardous wastes accruing, including existing stockpiles.
Set up a Toxic Use Reduction Agency, with the best expertise available internationally in the minimisation of the use of toxic materials.
Set up a centralised national toxic and hazardous waste remediation facility, for the fractions that remain after toxic use reduction and clean production have been implemented.
Make it mandatory under IPC / IPPC licensing to eliminate, or reduce as much as possible, the cross-contamination of toxic waste materials
Give tax incentives and grants to encourage clean production and toxic use minimisation.
Substantially increase the EPA’s funding, by increasing the cost of IPC / IPPC licences.
Establish a complete toxic release inventory database, modelled on the OECD initiative on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, and made easily accessible by the public.
Implement the use of alkaline hydrolysis to treat hazardous wastes such as specified risk material from the meat industry and certain medical wastes.
Fund substantial research, through the Toxic Use Reduction Agency, on new techniques and processes which would eliminate the use of toxic materials
3.8Agricultural Waste
Agriculture is the single largest source of waste in Ireland. According to the EPA’s National Waste Database Report 2001, 56,687,440 tonnes of agricultural organic waste were generated, a reduction of 12.2% since 1998. The reduction was primarily due to a reduction in animal numbers that consequently results in reduced generation of manure, slurry and soiled wash water. A breakdown of organic waste generation in 2001 was as follows: cattle manure and slurry 61.3% ; Soiled water (dairy only) 30.46% ; Pig slurry 4.26% ; Silage effluent 2.08% ; Poultry litter .79% ; Sheep manure .59% ; Spent mushroom compost .52%.

Most of what is called ‘Agricultural Waste’ today was traditionally the sole source of sustainable fertility for the cultivation of land. Every effort should be made to recycle organic materials rather than " getting rid " of them. However, if organic waste is applied to agricultural or other land in quantities exceeding agronomic requirements, then the waste is being disposed of. In order to determine the correct agronomic requirements of a soil, and consequently whether a disposal or recovery activity is being carried out, a nutrient management plan should be prepared.

Within a Zero Waste model slurry should ideally be bio-digested. The Green Party will introduce legislation to make it mandatory for slurry from intensive pig production units to go through Anaerobic Digesters. We will provide financial incentives for groups of cattle farmers to build anaerobic digesters to produce a valuable fertiliser and to generate electricity. We will ensure that a register isestablished for trading/exchanging wastes from the food production industry with the aim of directing suitable materials to anaerobic digesters. We will require intensive poultry units to seek co-operation with operators of composting sites to recycle valuable nutrients. We will also ensure that Alkaline Hydrolysis is made mandatory for the treatment of any kind of slaughtering waste, accompanied by anaerobic digestion for electricity generation.We will require that materials unsuitable for digestion to should go to composting units and not to landfill

We will introduce Regulations to govern the spreading of fertiliser. We will encourage less fertiliser to be used by ensuring that it is more accurately applied and that it is not spread on wet days, just before heavy rain or on hot, sunny days. We will ensure that fertilisers will be required to be made available in 1 tonne reusable bags which can be returned to the distributor for refilling. Big contractors can often be more efficient in this regard because they can pick up the fertiliser in bulk without packaging and spread it more accurately onto farmland using GPS (Global Positioning Systems). We will provide financial incentives to encourage the use of Pit Silage. This form of silage is more environmentally friendly once the expense of putting the silage in the pit has been taken care of. This process uses less plastic and no string. A grabful of silage can be put straight into the diet feeder. If round bales of silage are used, farmers will be required to ensure that the strings are cut off and the plastic removed before feeding, to keep the plastic clean for recycling.

We will reduce the use of pesticides by requiring the use of Integrated Pest Management and better monitoring the weather, times of the year and pest movements to ensure that spraying only occurs when necessary. This often requires sensitive monitoring equipment that only the bigger, specialised farmer can afford. Grants will be made available to groups of small farmers to allow them to collectively lease or buy such equipment. We will require that manure heaps are placed away from waterways and preferably covered.We will provide financial support to promote the re-introduction of straw bedding. Straw-based bedding is better for the environment as it uses crop residues and gives an extra income for grain farmers. We will ensure that spent mushroom compost is brought back for spreading on the land to counteract the deficiencies created by its production, instead of burning it to generate electricity.

In Government the Green Party will:

Introduce legislation to make it mandatory for slurry from intensive pig production units to go through Anaerobic Digesters.
Provide financial incentives for groups of cattle farmers to build anaerobic digesters to produce a valuable fertiliser and to generate electricity.
Establish a register for trading/exchanging wastes from the food production industry with the aim of directing suitable materials to anaerobic digesters
Require intensive poultry units to seek co-operation with operators of composting sites to recycle valuable nutrients
Make Alkaline Hydrolysis mandatory for the treatment of any kind of slaughtering waste, accompanied by anaerobic digestion for electricity generation.
Require that materials unsuitable for digestion to should go to composting units and not to landfill
Provide financial support to promote the re-introduction of straw bedding.
Bring spent mushroom compost back for spreading on the land to counteract the deficiencies created by its production,
Introduce Regulations to govern the spreading of fertiliser.
Require that fertilisers will be required to be made available in 1 tonne reusable bags that can be returned to the distributor for refilling.
Provide financial incentives to encourage the use of Pit Silage.
Reduce the use of pesticides by using Integrated Pest Management and monitoring the weather, times of the year and pest movements to spray only when necessary.
3.9 Construction and Demolition Waste
Construction and demolition waste is one of the largest waste streams in Ireland (the third largest waste stream after Agricultural and Manufacturing waste) Despite this pre-dominance, few records, particularly on waste generation, are maintained by operators within this sector. The EPA used two different methodologies to estimate the generation of construction and demolition waste in 2001. (EPA National Waste Database 2001). The first methodology estimated that 3,651, 411 tonnes of construction and demolition waste were generated in 2001. This represents an increase of 35% over the estimated 2,704,958 tonnes generated in 1998. An analysis of these figures shows that new construction, repair and maintenance activities are the greatest generators of C& D waste followed by soil excavation and demolition activities. The Government set a target in 1998 for the recycling of at least 50% of construction and demolition waste by 2003, with a progressive increase to at least 85% recycling by 2013.

However, in order to improve confidence in construction and demolition waste generation, recovery and disposal data, improved information on construction and demolition waste disposal and recovery is required. This means that all recovery and disposal operations must be appropriately authorised and records maintained.

Within a Zero Waste approach, the Green Party supports the introduction of legislation to require quantitative information on construction and demolition waste generation and disposal to be provided by operators and contractors in the sector (nb major construction projects such as Dublin Port Tunnel, Luas etc). The provisions of the Waste Management Act 1996 and the relevant Regulations should be amended to ensure that recovery and disposal operations of C&D waste must be authorised by local authorities and adequate records maintained.

The Planning & Development Act 2000 should be amended to require developers to submit a ‘Materials Plan’ to local authorities for developments above a certain size, indicating the type of building materials to be used in proposed developments (ie percentage of virgin versus recycled) and the proposed method of disposal for excess/used materials. The Planning & Development Act 2000 should also be amended to require that developers ensure buildings are demolished or deconstructed in such a way as to ensure maximum capture of reusable materials

Tax relief should be provided to developers based on the quantities of recycled C&D materials that are used in a given development. Regulations should be introduced requiring the separation of construction and demolition waste into separate waste streams (eg soil, rubble, metal timber) as soon as a certain volume of material is exceeded (eg as in Austria). Local authorities should be required to vary their Development Plans to indicate where dedicated facilities for the processing of construction and demolition waste will be located. Local authorities should also include a condition in the public contracts/tenders that they award to the private sector obliging the use of a certain percentage of recycled C&D waste (nb major road projects)

Low interest start-up loans and grants should be provided for individuals or companies interested in establishing C&D recycling businesses. A national advertising campaign should be targeted at the construction industry to encourage a more positive attitude towards the use of recycled C&D waste in construction projects and to make the industry aware of its obligations under the new proposed legislation.

In Government, the Green Party will:

Introduce legislation to require quantitative information on construction and demolition waste generation and disposal to be provided by operators and contractors in the sector
Ensure that recovery and disposal operations of C&D waste must be authorised by local authorities and adequate records maintained.
Oblige developers to submit a ‘Materials Plan’ to local authorities for developments above a certain size, indicating the type of building materials to be used in proposed developments (ie percentage of virgin versus recycled) and how excess/used materials are to be disposed of.
Require that developers ensure buildings are demolished/deconstructed in such a way as to ensure maximum capture of reusable materials
Provide tax relief to developers based on the quantities of recycled C&D materials that are used in a given development.
Ensure that local authorities vary their Development Plans to indicate where dedicated facilities for the processing of construction and demolition waste will be located
Require local authorities to include conditions in the contracts that they award to the private sector obliging the use of a certain percentage of recycled C&D waste
Introduce Regulations requiring the separation of construction and demolition waste into separate waste streams (eg soil, rubble, metal timber) as soon as a certain volume of material is exceeded (ie Austria)
Provide low interest start-up loans and grants through the Zero Waste Agency for individuals or companies interested in establishing C&D recycling businesses.
Fund a national advertising campaign targeted at the construction industry to encourage a more positive attitude towards the use of recycled C&D waste in construction projects and to make the industry aware of its obligations under the new legislation

3.10 Zero Waste and Climate Change
Zero Waste systems reduce greenhouse gases by (i) saving energy – especially by reducing energy consumption associated with extracting, processing and transporting ‘virgin’ raw materials. Manufacturing with recycled materials uses less energy overall compared with manufacturing using virgin materials (ii) increasing carbon uptake by forests. The recycling of paper, for example, leaves more trees standing so they can breathe in our carbon dioxide. (iii) reducing and eventually eliminating the need for landfills (which release methane), and incinerators (which waste energy relative to recycling and reuse).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by cutting the amount of waste generated in the US back to 1990 levels, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 11.6 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE), the basic unit of measure for greenhouse gases. It also estimated that increasing the national recycling rate in the US from its current level of 28 percent to 35 percent would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9.8 million MTCE, compared to land-filling the same material. (US EPA Climate Change Website). Net carbon emissions are four to five times lower when materials are produced from recycled steel, copper, glass, and paper. They are 40 times lower for aluminium. Likewise, extracting and processing petroleum into common plastic containers ( ‘PET’ and ‘HDPE’) takes four to eight times more energy than making plastics from recycled plastics.

4.0 Successfully implementing a Zero Waste approach

The full and effective implementation of a Zero Waste strategy will require the support and participation of local communities, national and local government, business and industry, agriculture and, in fact, every sector of society.

4.1 Community involvement
The idea of a Zero Waste society is becoming a powerful people-led environmental initiative. Many communities who have resisted the location of large super-dumps or incinerators in their local areas have enthusiastically embraced the concept of Zero Waste. The involvement of communities is integral to a Zero Waste approach, unlike current waste management strategies that rely on centralised, capital-intensive technologies. An informed and committed community can achieve remarkable results in waste avoidance and recovery. Citizens in Canberra, Australia have demonstrated a willingness to recycle materials with a kerbside recycling programme boasting a participation rate greater than 98% recovering 24,000 tonnes of materials annually, or 220 kgs per household a year (‘ Zero Waste’, Murray, R. 2002). This is the highest participation and recovery rate for any kerbside recycling system operating in Australia.

Zero Waste depends on smaller scale, decentralised industries, with a local and regional focus. A Zero Waste approach promotes civic participation and job creation. Much social enterprise, for example, has grown up around recycling. Community collectors in the UK achieve the highest participation rates, followed by local authorities and private waste companies.Two of the most successful recyclers have been the Salvation Army and Oxfam- though neither has ventured into multi-material kerbside collection. The Community Recycling Network has 250 members and is the largest kerbside recycler in the UK(‘Zero Waste’, Murray, R. 2002). In New Zealand community enterprises have been at the centre of the expansion of recycling.

The Green Party believes that managing waste should not be viewed as a problem, or even as a means of private gain or profit, but as a comprehensive and integrated method for more effectively using valued community resources, skills and materials, encouraging people to use technologies to suit their own needs, improving environmental health and quality of life, keeping wealth within the community, increasing productivity by re-using and recycling objects and materials, and saving energy.

In order to ensure the involvement of the community in a Zero Waste approach, in Government, the Green Party will implement :

A comprehensive public information & awareness- raising programme as a necessary part of implementing a Zero Waste strategy. This will include targeted Community Waste Education programmes that educate community volunteers to deliver waste reduction projects. Reward and recognition systems will also be provided for successful community initiatives that reduce waste.
Public education campaigns to encourage ‘smart purchasing’ practicesamongst members of the public who can reduce waste by making sound decisions when they buy products.
The introduction of a national rating system or eco-labelling systemthatprovides the public with information on the environmental characteristics of a product including by-products, energy consumed in production and use, packaging used and the potential for re-use and recycling.
A policy approach to municipal waste whereby local communities will be encouraged to take more responsibility for their own wastes, with emphasis on waste minimisation, re-use, repair, recycling, home and local composting.
Financial assistance from local authorities and Government for the establishment suitable small-scale, not-for-profit, community-based re-use, repair and recycling enterprises.
Balanced representation of community representatives on all key policy-making and decision-making bodiesin the area of waste/resource management.

4.2 National Government
National Government has a critical role to play in developing a comprehensive package of policy tools to meet its responsibilities in the implementation of a Zero Waste approach. In particular it must adopt more active, market-based means to generate the changes required. The Green Party in Government will provide the leadership necessary to implement a Zero Waste approach.

In Government, the Green Party will :

Set up and fund a lead National Zero Waste Agencyto co-ordinate key Zero Waste activities
Introduce legislation to support the twenty-year Zero Waste target
Introduce legislation requiring the separation of domestic waste streams at source.
Set an interim deadline for banning the land-filling of biological waste which has not been treated and neutralised, and a final deadline for a total ban on the landfilling of biological waste
Put a 10 year moratorium on the development of incinerators or other thermal treatment facilities nationally
Increase the levels of Landfill taxes and use them to fund Zero Waste programmes. Prohibit flat rate charges for the collection of municipal waste and introduce volume or weight-related charges nationally
Introduce Producer Responsibility legislation immediately for all products/materials that are hazardous or difficult to recycle
Revoke the sections of the Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001 and the Protection of the Environment Act 2003, which give power to County and City Managers to make waste management plans. Open up waste planning to greater public participation.
Introduce legislation that will apply to local authority jurisdictions where privatisation of waste services has occurred. This legislation will clarify that the regulatory role of local authorities with regard to waste collection, recycling, treatment and waste disposal services includes the contracting out of these services to the private sector. The private sector will have to tender for such contracts which will specify types of services to be provided and standards and criteria to be met.
Ensure that the Departments of Finance and Trade, Enterprise & Employment, will co-ordinate technical and financial support for the new cyclical economy of waste recovery, and create and maintain a level playing field so that environmentally and socially responsible businesses and industries are incentivised.
Introduce a policy of“Green Government Purchasing”. This is consistent with the commitment by OECD member countries at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 1992 to improve government purchasing policies as a move towards more sustainable consumption and production, and can amount to up to 25% of GNP. This purchasing power is a strong tool for encouraging market development for environmentally positive products.
Introduce a national ‘Zero Waste Strategy’ education campaign to complement local education campaigns, and to highlight the financial and environmental savings to be gained by eliminating waste in all sectors of society

4.3 Local Government
Under a Zero Waste approach local authorities will change their role from “waste disposal” agencies to “resource management” organisations, with emphasis on reducing and minimising waste production by all persons and companies living and working in their functionalareas, and on finding new uses for substances and materials currently sent for waste disposal. The Green Party is opposed to the current trend of privatising waste collection and disposal services and believe that these services should remain the responsibility of local authorities. In many locations the present strategy of “privatising” waste collection and disposal has resulted in the handing over of all waste related activities to the waste disposal industry – a step which encourages waste disposal instead of resource recovery. Such a strategy hands over waste management to the corporate interest, and removes it from the control of the community

In Government the Green Party will ensure that local government will have a responsibility to ensure that :

Waste collection facilities are accessible to all
Waste is recycled or treated as close as possible to its collection point.
A 20 year target of Zero Waste will be set to be achieved for all domestic waste produced
Householders comply with new legislative requirements to separate certain domestic waste streams at source.
Doorstep collections of organic waste are provided, and networks of local closed vessel compost plants established in each local authority area.
Doorstep collection of dry recyclable materials will extended to the majority of homes in Ireland without delay. Regular kerbside collection systems to be introduced in rural areas.
A system of volume or weight-related charges for domestic waste collection will replace the system of flat charges that is in place in some local authority areas.
A system of tax credits is introduced to encourage householders to minimise the amount of waste they leave out for disposal. Under this system, each wheelie bin would have an electronic tag, which would be verified against the address during a given year. Householders would get credits against the charge for any time they don't put out their bin, based on an annual billing system.
A network of Recycling/Civic Amenity centres are introduced in each local authority area to provide reuse and recycling service
Public control over the waste stream is maintained by local authoritiesthrough the direct provision of waste collection, recycling and treatment services in their functional areas and/or the issuing of tightly regulated waste contracts to the private sector which are closely monitored by the local authority.
An annual inventory of all wastes being generated or recycled in each local authority’s functional area is drawn up, including quantities, and sources.
Local authority procurement policies are altered in favour of durable, re-usable or recycled products.
An Annual Report to be submitted by the local authority to the National Zero Waste Agency indicating progress in relation to the implementation of its own Waste Management Plan
4.4 Business and Industry
Zero Waste and efficient business go hand in hand. On the one hand, a Zero Waste approach creates local jobs and small- scale enterprises, which collect and process secondary materials into new products. On the other hand, it offers major companies a way of increasing their efficiency, thereby reducing their demands on virgin materials as well as their waste disposal costs. Business and industry also have a key role to play in a Zero Waste approach. Without the assistance and commitment of industry, neither community groups nor government can realise the goals of Zero Waste.

The introduction of Clean Production systems in relation to industrial production processes is an essential component of a Zero Waste model. Our current production systems are linear, often referred to as cradle-to-grave, frequently using hazardous substances and finite resources in vast quantities and at rates that the environment cannot sustain. Clean Production is of critical importance within a Zero Waste model because as long as discarded materials are contaminated with toxic substances the tendency will be to try to get rid of them rather than to reuse them. Clean Production is based on the realisation that it is cheaper and more effective to prevent environmental damage than to attempt to manage or “cure” it. Therefore, within this approach, pollution prevention replaces pollution control. The preventative approach requires changes to be made in processes and products to avoid the creation of waste, instead of attempting to design more sophisticated, and costly, landfills and incinerators.

Clean production systems arenon-toxic, energy-efficient and based on the use of renewable materials which are naturally replenished and extracted in a manner that maintains the integrity and viability of the eco-systems and human communities from which they were taken. These systems are cyclical and use fewer materials, less water and less energy The Clean Production life cycle includes (i) product concept and design (ii) technology choices in the production process, (iii) extraction and processing of raw materials, (iv) energy choices based on renewable sources, (v) manufacture and assembly of the product, (vi) packaging and distribution, (vii) consumer use of the product and (viii) management of the components and materials at the end of the useful life of the product. One strategy based on this approach is the substitution of new biological materials for non-renewable ones. The replacement of oil-based plastics by vegetable-based ones is an example, or of bio-plastics for steel (Volkswagen is now making car doors out of plant-derived plastics)

Extended Producer Responsibility is a critical element of a Zero Waste model and refers to the responsibility manufacturers must take for the entire life cycle of products and packaging, and for the components that they are made from. The emphasis regarding product design within business and industry at present is principally on production and sales. Many of the products, and most of the packaging produced at present are used once before destruction or disposal in large waste facilities. A short product lifespan clearly increases sales, and built-in obsolescence is typically a feature of product design. The manufacture of products generally involves the cheapest materials available without regard for their impact on the eco-system. Our current economic system subsidises natural resource extraction, and below-cost energy and water.

Corporate responsibility for the environmental impacts of a company’s products and activities is extremely limited. For example, the personal computer (and the mobile telephone) could become the aluminium can or plastic bottle of the cyber age, a disposable container for information technology, with built-in obsolescence. Computer manufacturers have sold hundreds of millions of units without a thought of what would happen to them when the newer, better, faster versions became available. Computers and other electronic devices are becoming a significant component of "municipal waste," the responsibility of the State and local authorities, to be managed in a system that was designed a century ago for ashes and food scraps.

Without producer responsibility for waste there are inadequate incentives in place to encourage producers to internalise costs and eliminate waste. Extended Producer Responsibility means that manufacturers will assume greater responsibility for packaging and products from cradle to the grave, or from the creation of the first product through to the return and preparation of those materials to be used again. Product Life Cycle Plans must be a key feature of product design, including information on return systems available, appropriate recycling processes and re-use options.

Materials Productivity is another integral element of a Zero Waste approach.

A number of national and international bodies (including the OECD Council at Ministerial level) have proposed a goal of increasing materials productivity by a factor of ten within a generation. Within a Zero Waste approach therefore, businesses will be required to rewrite their waste disposal contracts as ‘resource recovery contracts’. All businesses will be required to produce annual Waste/ Resource Plans and report on their progress towards targets.

The introduction of “take back” systems and manufacturer responsibility for packaging waste form part of a Zero Waste approach. The Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations, 2003 which give effect to the EU Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC require Ireland to achieve recovery rates of 25% or more for packaging by 30 June 2001 and 50% or more by 31 December 2005. The Packaging Regulations require that all firms which place packaged goods on the Irish market take back the packaging on request, clearly inform the public that all packaging may be returned to the shop or premises where the purchase was made, segregate their packaging wastes, and comprehensively engage in re-use, return and/or recycling of packaging wastes. At present companies have the option of participating in a voluntary compliance system under the Repak scheme but it is clear that the operation of this scheme has not achieved the outcomes sought by the Packaging Directive.

Under a Zero Waste approach all major shops, supermarkets and suppliers will be required to operate a return depot for empty containers, used items or replaced goods, to be passed back to manufacturers or for recycling. Manufacturers in the industrial and commercial sectors will be required to accept packaging, empty containers and used products at their plant locations. Suppliers and retailers will be required to put a system of reverse distribution in place where all broken and unsaleable merchandise will be returned to central locations for repair, re-use or for breaking down into components for recycling, rather than dumping them in community landfills or incinerators.

Legislation will be introduced that will require manufacturers to make greater use of re-fillable, returnable containers for products (In Canada, where the beer industry invested in refillable glass bottles, 97 % of bottles are returned to the producer for refilling). Retailers will be encouraged to stock products that are recyclable and repairable, encourage their suppliers to use minimal packaging, provide systems for consumers to recycle excess packaging and vigorously promote products that are environmentally sustainable. They will be encouraged to facilitate producer responsibility by moving from retail into both leasing and servicing of products. This is likely to start with vehicles and white goods. An Advance Disposal Fee will be added to the cost of electronic and other big-ticket items such as computers, printers appliances and vehicles which can be redeemed at the end of their lives, to help cover recovery, dismantling or recycling

A Deposit Refund Scheme will be introduced for beverage containers and other items such as Tetra Paks to encourage consumers to return them for reuse or recycling. A minimum packaging levy will be implemented on all non-biodegradable and non-re-usable packaging. This levy will form part of a policy approach that encourages producers to reduce packaging to a minimum. The levy will be gradually increased over a period of years with the aim of discouraging the production of packaging made from non-recyclable materials. Manufacturers will also be obliged to be more transparent about the use of toxic materials and their release into the environment. If an industry insists on using toxic or non-recyclable substances or materials in certain products, this will be permitted for only a fixed number of years, and on condition that all of the product is taken back by the manufacturer at the end of its life.

In Government the Green Party will :

Enforce the mandatory separation of commercial and industrial waste streams as required by the Packaging Regulations 2003. Amend the Regulations to create the obligation on suppliers/manufacturers to reuse or recycle returned packaging material
Strengthen the provisions of the Waste Management Act 1996 to allow the Minister, by way of regulation, to impose a range of duties on manufacturers, importers and the waste management industry with regard to providing certain product information, introducing “take back” measures, meeting waste prevention targets and recycling ratios, paying bonds, meeting product specifications, eliminating proscribed materials from product design etc.
Require that all major shops, supermarkets and suppliers operate a return depot for empty containers, used items or replaced goods, to be passed back to manufacturers for recycling
Introduce a refundable deposit system on recyclable/refillable containers (plastic bottles, aluminium cans etc) and a levy on container/packaging that cannot be recycled. Set up a Working Group to explore the option of a the gradual introduction of ‘plastic tax’ on products and packaging containing plastic, given the successful implementation of a tax on plastic bags in this country.
Implement aminimum packaging levyon all non-biodegradable and non-re-usable packaging
Require that an Advance Disposal Fee be added to the cost of electronic and other big-ticket items such as computers, printers, appliances and vehicles which can be redeemed at the end of their lives to help cover recovery, dismantling or recycling
Publish Cleaner Production Guidelines for business and industry and establish a Cleaner Production Partnership Programme between the Zero Waste Agency and different sectors of business/industry
Upgrade the Clean Production Promotion Unit in University College Cork to a National Clean Production Institute .It will work closely with the National Zero Waste Agency and will provide advice ad support to business and industry
Provide tax relief to businesses and industries who switch over to Clean Production systems
Establish a Zero Waste Fund that will be made available to businesses in the form of grants/start-up loans to enterprises that directly contribute to achieving agreed Zero waste targets. Ensure that ring-fenced taxes/charges will be directed to this fund
Set up a National Recycling Taskforce to be set up under the management of the Zero Waste Agency to negotiate recycling targets for each sector of business/industry and to establish agreements with paper, packaging and other key industries
Provide a much greater level of funding for the Eco-Design unit of EnterpriseIreland. Ensure that manufacturers of new products, including smaller companies at the CountyEnterprise Board level get eco-design assistance so that they can avoid later waste by designing their products according to eco-design principles.
Introduce tax reliefs for manufacturers of new product designs which substitute biological/renewable materials for non-renewable ones
Develop criteria for a national Zero Waste brand and launch it
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5.0 Examples of Zero Waste models internationally

5.1 Implementation of Zero Waste in other countries
The “Zero Waste” approach is realistic – by the year 2001, some 40% of the municipal authorities in New Zealand had adopted Zero Waste goals, some of them aiming for Zero Waste by the year 2015 and others by 2020. Other areas that have adopted a Zero Waste model include Australia Victoria, Western Australia, and QuinteOntario, Canada. Cities and towns that have adopted “Zero Waste” strategies include Canberra(Australia), Seattle (Washington State, USA), and a number of counties in the United States, including Del Norte County (California).

5.2 Positive examples from industry at present
The Xerox Corporation in Europe operates a massive “reverse distribution” service at its European manufacturing headquarters in Venray, Netherlands. At Venray, Xerox recovers old copying machines from 16 European countries, and the company reuses these machines or their parts, or recycles the component materials. As a result, Xerox sends only 5% of the returned materials for waste disposal

Electrolux, a major producer of household electrical appliances, has developed a system of Environmental Performance Indicators to monitor progress in eco-design of their products.

The 3M Company adopted a Pollution Prevention Pays Programme which in the period 1975-96 prevented 750,000 tons of pollutants and saved € 920 million. During the same period, the company achieved an energy efficiency improvement of 58 % per unit of production or per square meter of office and warehouse space in its operations in the United States

Fujitsu Ltd. and Sony Electronics are taking steps to reduce landfill waste by finding ways to incorporate biodegradable plastics into their products. In 2002, Sony Electronics began offering a new version of its Walkman tape player that uses a vegetable-based plastic for 90 % of its casing. Fujitsu is also moving to make use of this environmentally friendly plastic. Beginning in 2004, Fujitsu will use the plastic in the shell of its laptop computer.

Sony Corporation operates a “Zero Waste to Landfill” policy, and has achieved this at 35 manufacturing sites out of 100 in the year ended 31 March 2002. Plants sending zero waste to landfill in Europe include Sony DADC Austria A.G.; Sony France S.A., Recording Media & Energy Production France, Dax Plant; and Sony Hungaria kft, Godollo Plant in Hungary. The company’s target is to have all Sony plants sending no waste to landfill by 2005.

5.3 Zero Waste & Commercial Competitiveness
The challenges of Zero Waste and retaining commercial competitiveness are very compatible. Companies can improve their productivity by manufacturing existing products more efficiently, with less waste, or by making products that are more valuable to customers - products for which customers are willing to pay more. Because technology is constantly changing, global competitiveness requires the ability to innovate rapidly.

Countries which pre-emptively set high environmental standards can establish strong domestic markets for new technologies which may then be used as a springboard for international trade when the standards are taken up elsewhere. Industry in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan has certainly benefited from this approach. Because Germany adopted recycling standards earlier than most other countries, some German companies have been able to develop less packaging-intensive products, which are both lower in cost and more sought after in the marketplace.

Scandinavian companies also gained competitive advantages by responding quickly to flexible environmental regulations that forced companies to focus on the production process itself, and not merely on treatment of wastes. Instead of resisting the tightening of controls, Scandinavian paper production companies developed innovative pulping and bleaching technologies that not only met emission requirements but also reduced wastes and lowered operating costs. In most of these countries, a critical principle of good environmental regulation was adopted: strict standards were enforced, but industries were left free to discover how to solve their own problems, thereby creating the maximum opportunities for innovation.

As an “open” economy, Ireland cannot afford to ignore these lessons.

In order to ensure a sustainable level of economic and social development, in Government the Green Party will do the following :

Pre-emptively set high environmental and waste elimination standards which may be relatively flexible or generous at first, but will become progressively tighter according to a strict but agreed time-scale
Develop environmental, waste production and management regulations in harmony with other countries, or slightly ahead of them, so as to maximise export potential in industries and services dedicated to pollution control and environmental management (Regulations that fall behind those of other countries, or are less strict, will certainly erode competitiveness).
Introduce innovation-friendly regulations that motivate industries to adapt by developing innovative solutions to resource-use and pollution problems
Promote a view amongst business and industry that responding to environmental standards and regulations - rather than fighting them, as certain sections of Irish industry have done in the past- will lead to greater efficiency and improved competitiveness by Irish companies

6.0 Conclusion
The implementation of Zero Waste 'resource management' systems are arguably amongst the most important steps needed to ensure our transition to a sustainable society, and to prevent further environmental deterioration and damage to the earth's atmosphere and ecosystems. Zero Waste confronts the whole idea of endless material consumption, by assisting those who are locked into the system to challenge in a positive way their own behaviour patterns. Extracting, processing, transporting and wasting resources are primary causes of environmental destruction and global warming. We need to reconfigure our one-way industrial system into a circular, closed-loop system, which would enable recycling of discarded resources from communities back to industries, both new and old. The implementation of a Zero Waste model is the best way of achieving this, but it requires co-operation and shared responsibility among all sectors and levels, from communities to Government.

Within this model the community has to maximize reuse, repair, recycling and composting. Industry has to redesign the objects the community cannot reuse, repair, recycle or compost. Both industry and the community need to reduce wasteful practices like over-packaging and over-consumption. Government has to provide leadership and the appropriate fiscal and financial systems which reward waste elimination, re-use, repair, recycling and composting, while penalising the creation of unnecessary or difficult wastes. The potential rewards from the implementation of a Zero Waste model will include saving of raw material resources, the creation of employment, the retention of wealth within local communities and within the country, and a reduction in the need for new landfill sites or the building of incinerators.

In conclusion, it is clear that a Zero Waste approach will involve the re-organisation of our production and our economic systems. This critical shift will signal an end to the unsustainable approaches to waste management that we pursue at present. The successful implementation of a Zero Waste model will significantly reduce the environmental damage that our waste practices have caused to the environment and will enhance our ability to live in a low impact and responsible way in this country, and on the earth generally. The Green Party is committed to providing the political leadership to allow this to happen.

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com