The waste strategy for Northern Ireland was launched in March 2000 and the deadline for councils to submit their Waste Management Plans was the end of June 2001. But the councils said that the foot and mouth crisis as well as lack of guidance and funding prevented them from meeting the deadline.
The three partnerships of district councils in Northern Ireland (The Eastern Region Waste Management Group, the Southern Waste Management Partnership and the North West Regional Waste Management Strategy Group) submitted incomplete Waste Management Plans and there will now be a delay of several months while the draft plans are evaluated and a public consultation process is undertaken.
There is also concern that this year's 3.5 million funding, part of a three-year investment to implement the plans, could be relocated. And with the UK facing EU infraction proceedings over Waste Management Plans, Northern Ireland could face fines.
Foot and Mouth
Steve Aston, head of waste strategy at the DoE, said: “In the timetable, the Waste Management Plans were supposed to be completed by end of June but foot and mouth and other challenges meant that the councils had difficulties in sticking to the time-scale.”
He added: “We now have a blueprint which we are working on with the councils and are looking at a new timetable. We are sending letters out tomorrow and issuing guidance on how best to resolve the situation. We need to get the plans in a ready state to comply with the directives and the Waste Order.”
The plans were submitted without undergoing full public consultation which the DoE says is vital to ensure that they meet the specifications in the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 which states that district councils have a statutory duty to provide Waste Management Plans.
Mr Aston added: “Once the plans have been written they will go to public consultation and then with the public's response we will check that they will work and will deliver on recycling.”
But Mr Aston warned that fines could be issued if progress was not made and said that his policy was to be “firm and fair” with local authorities. “If the Waste Management Plans are not adopted and working by next summer then there is very high risk that we will be fined. If we can't get agreement and progress by issuing guidance than we will issue direction. We are not going to be reluctant to exercise our powers if it saves us from fines.”
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