Increasing waste size

Councils and waste management operators in Northern Ireland are to be allowed temporary increases in storage capacity following the downturn in the Recycling markets. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), which is responsible for regulating the storage, treatment, recycling and disposal of waste, has issued a long-awaited set of criteria to allow the additional storage of recyclable material during the current "difficult time."

A statement released by the NIEA said, "These are difficult times for many councils and operators and we will work with them to minimise impacts on the environment now and in the longer term. It is important that local collection, treatment and reprocessing capacity is retained."

Companies or councils looking to benefit from an exemption, permit or licence extension would need to meet the following criteria to be deemed eligible:

• where recyclables need to be stored, this should be at locations regulated by the NIEA;
• operators who hold a licence and expect to need additional storage for a short period (up to six months) should approach the NIEA to discuss a temporary increase in storage of recyclable materials at their site;
• operators must make sure that any such plans do not present an increased risk to the environment;
• if operators expect to need extra storage capacity for longer than six months, they should apply for a licence variation;
• operators may be able to make use of exemptions from waste licensing. Exemptions come with restrictions with which the operator must comply. They should also check with their planning authority, landlord and insurer that they are allowed to store these materials at their site;
• it is the operator's responsibility to make sure that they remain compliant with other requirements such as planning permission.