EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 9: Waste Market Structure The structure of Ireland’s household waste collection market is atypical. Local authorities are responsible for collecting or arranging for the collection of household waste under the Waste Management Act, 1996. Atypically, compared with other Member States, the household waste collection market is privatised; householders contract directly with the operator for provision of the service. 23 In ‘side-by-side competition’ for the waste collection market, waste operators can offer their services in any location and there may be more than one collector in any location. A study by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to assess the nature and scale of household and operator issues in the household waste collection market reported that the market is highly concentrated, consumers have little or no power to influence operators’ behaviour and the current structure affects the achievement of environmental goals. The CCPC also reported that, although there are numerous regulators, there are few state economic levers to ensure that policy on waste collection services is delivered and environmental goals achieved (CCPC, 2018). Waste Infrastructure and Capacity Ireland has limited, and in some cases zero, national capacity to treat the wastes generated. Local authorities are statutorily responsible for waste management planning and provision of infrastructure. A network of civic amenity sites and bring banks are owned and managed by local authorities (or their management is 23 Kerry County Council and Kilkenny City Council continue to collect household kerbside waste for fewer than 2,325 urban households (2019 data). subcontracted to the private sector) and local authorities manage legacy sites, particularly closed landfills, but the private sector primarily provides waste collection and treatment facilities. Waste treatment capacity is finely balanced, particularly for municipal and non-inert C&D wastes (Table 9.8). In 2016, landfill capacity was critically low and additional capacity had to be authorised to prevent environmental impacts. Municipal and non-inert C&D waste treatment capacity is now monitored quarterly by the regional waste management planning offices to ensure continuity of collection and processing capacity (also healthcare waste capacity since COVID-19). There is no contingent landfill capacity currently in place, although some suitable sites have been identified, and the process of assigning contingency capacity is under way. Lack of capacity has affected the state’s availability to repatriate certain legacy waste that had been deposited illegally at sites in Northern Ireland. There is currently no commercial hazardous waste landfill or hazardous waste incinerator in Ireland 24 and no facility for radioactive waste treatment. This lack of infrastructure is a risk to the state. While the EU single market gives us security of movement, there are risks that export markets for hazardous and recyclable wastes may close at short notice because of lack of capacity or cost- effectiveness. 25 Waste exports are also lost resources; some wastes can be repaired for reuse, others used as fuel and others mined for recycling. 24 A licence review application for Bord na Móna Drehid Landfill includes for hazardous waste landfill. Indaver Ireland Limited has applied for a licence for a hazardous waste incinerator in Co. Cork. 25 The Netherlands and Sweden introduced waste-to-energy levies in 2020. 241