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Top DoE Staff to Attend Waste Hearing ; Department's Recycling Campaign Rubbished

Posted on: Thursday, 20 October 2005, 12:00 CDT

By David Gordon

Senior DoE officials are to appear before a powerful parliamentary body over a damning review of the Department's waste management record, it can be revealed today.The hearing of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on November 30 will investigate the adequacy of efforts to promote recycling and halt illegal dumping in Northern Ireland.It will be based on a report issued by the watchdog Northern Ireland Audit Office published earlier this year.This

study said a delay in the introduction of tighter waste regulations here may have helped to encourage a "major inflow" of rubbish from the Republic of Ireland.It also stated: "Northern Ireland's waste management performance ranks poorly in comparison with other countries, with one of the lowest recycling performances in Europe and most waste being disposed of in landfill sites."The Audit Office report further revealed that the DoE had failed to live up to the message of its own "Wake up to Waste" recycling push.It cited a 2004 survey which found the DoE's own headquarters to be one of the poorest recycling performers within the Department.Only 15% of the building's waste was being recycled, compared to an average of 32%.The Audit Office said the DoE had been "slow" to finalise procedures for enforcement action against breaches of waste regulations.It also had only 50% of the staff it believed it needed to carry out enforcement and inspection work, the report said.The Audit Office report said the Department had not spent some [Pound]8m of its allocated [Pound]27.9m waste management budget for the years 2001 to 2004.

Source: Belfast Telegraph

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