Ten more towns throughout Donegal are to be included under the Waste Management (Household Food Waste) Regulations 2012 from next month, July 2015.
They are: Ballyshannon, Ballybofey-Stranorlar, Buncrana, Bunbeg-Derrybeg, Bundoran, Carndonagh, Donegal Town and Lifford.
Since July 2014 these regulations have placed an obligation on householders in Letterkenny to ‘source segregate’ their household food waste and present it for collection for processing. Alternatively a householder was allowed to compost their food waste on their own property. In either event household food waste cannot be mixed with general residual waste destined for disposal at landfills.
From July 2016 the regulations will apply to a further 19 towns and villages.
It is a condition of the Waste Collectors Permits to provide this service (Brown Bin) and for appropriate treatment/processing. The Council has been engaging with the Collectors to ensure their compliance.
What does this mean for the householder?
These regulations mean the householder will be required to keep their food waste out of the ‘residual’ bin and present it for collection by their waste collector.
An additional bin will be provided by the waste collector and households are encouraged to contact their own waste collector for further information.
All food waste, including meats and dairy products will go into the new bin.
Waste collectors will advise on what can and cannot go into the food waste bin.
Where does this waste go?
The food waste will be composted and the final product will be used for soil conditioning either on gardens or on farmlands.
What does the householder need to do to get their bin and is there additional costs involved?
All the householder should have to do is contact their waste collector and ask for a food waste bin. For householders on fixed rate charges there should be no increased cost. For Pay as You Throw customers they should contact their waste collector for more information.
There are new regulations due regarding household waste charges which should lead to the householder being rewarded for their efforts in separating out the waste fractions in their homes. These regulations should be in place by mid-2016.
Why is this change being introduced?
All EU states are obliged to comply with the EU Waste Framework Directive, which amongst other things provides for the removal of biodegradable wastes from landfills. This is to protect the environment now and in the future from the consequences of the decomposition of wastes such as food that results in highly polluting leachates and greenhouse gases such as methane.
By removing food waste from landfills the production of these pollutants is considerably reduced, which in turn reduces the cost of running the landfills now and for next 40 years.
This does not just benefit us today but will be a worthwhile legacy for our children in the future.
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