Summary of the European Union Household Food Waste and Bio-Waste Regulations 2013

The European Union (EU) Household Food Waste and Bio-Waste Regulations (S.I. No. 71 of 2013) came into effect on 1st July 2013. The regulations are designed to promote the segregation of food waste from other waste types in the home. This food waste will be sent to composting facilities where it can be turned into high quality compost which can be used on parks and gardens. It can also be recovered by a process known as anaerobic digestion and converted into a gas-like fuel. This in turn, reduces the amount of waste being sent to landfills, and will create employment opportunities. Other recovery options are allowable, although the regulations prohibit segregated food waste being sent for incineration.

The Landfill Directive 99/31/EU requires all EU countries to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill sites by a series of yearly, and increasingly stringent, targets. Over the course of four years the legislation will come into effect in all towns and some villages in County Meath.

Date Agglomeration Size Towns/Villages 1st July 2013 >25,000 persons Navan, Drogheda South 1st July 2014 >10,000 persons Ashbourne, Bettystown, Donacarney, Laytown, Mornington 1st July 2015 >1,500 persons Athboy, Duleek, Dunboyne, Dunshauglin, Enfield, Kells, Ratoath, Stamullen, Trim 1st July 2016 >500 persons All other towns and some villages

Purpose of the Regulations The purpose of these regulations is to promote the segregation and recovery of household food waste and to ensure that all households make their contribution to increasing national recycling levels. Ireland has objectives under the Landfill Directive 99/31/EC to divert biodegradable waste away from landfills; by 2016 we must have reduced our biodegradable waste to landfill to 35% of the biodegradable municipal waste produced in 1995. Failure to meet these targets will result in stiff penalties from the European Union. The introduction of these regulations as well as the (Commercial) Food Waste Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 508 of 2009), will enable us to meet these targets, by directing source-segregated household food waste to composting and other forms of treatment.

The key points of the regulations for the householder are: 1. Households that produce food waste a. Must segregate such waste and keep it separate from other non- biodegradable waste b. Who must then i. Have it separately collected by an authorised waste collector or ii. Compost the food at home, or iii. Bring the food waste to authorised treatment centres, for recovery in an environmentally acceptable way, such as civic amenity sites or for anaerobic digestion sites 2. Households are not permitted to dispose of food waste in the residual waste collection (black bin)

The key points of the regulations for the waste collector are: 1. Waste collectors a. Must provide a separate collection service for household food waste for population agglomerations in accordance with the specified time schedule. b. Collect at least once a fortnight, or more frequently where necessary, and c. Transfer the food waste collected to an authorised facility for the purposes of an authorised treatment process.

A key requirement of the Food Waste Regulations is that food waste must be kept separate from other waste. This prevents it becoming contaminated and unsuitable for recycling. Food waste cannot be mixed with other waste after collection; nor can it be sent to landfill. Waste collectors will provide a food waste bin collection service specifically for this waste.

For further information, the website www.foodwaste.ie contains:  A full copy of the legislation  A list of frequently asked questions regarding the regulations and the segregation of food waste.

For information on home composting, visit www.stopfoodwaste.ie, or for any further questions, contact the Environment Section of Meath County Council on 046-909 7200.