EPA report into waste systems
WICKLOW County Council has been rated as a good performer in the area of environmental enforcement, according to a new report.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s ‘Focus on Local Authority Environmental Enforcement - 2018 Performance Report’ found the local authority to be on or above target in its performance in the areas of waste, enforcement systems and water systems. The county council’s performance in the area of air enforcement was rated as excellent in 2018.
Every year, the 31 local authorities provide the EPA with their enforcement plans and planned levels of activity. At year’s end, they submit data on completed activities and achievements. The EPA then assesses this information using a framework of 26 indicators to measure local authority.
The EPA report also highlights the work of the PURE project as a successful collaboration between a number of groups and agencies including Wicklow County Council. In particular, the environmental regulator draws attention to the decrease in the amount of illegal waste collected year on year within the area of the PURE project, despite an increase in the number of reports from the public over the period from 2011 to 2018.
The report also outlines a number of recommendations to improve performance. Among these, the EPA urges local authorities to focus their efforts on improving waste segregation by householders and businesses of food waste in particular.
It also calls for an increase in farm inspection rates to monitor water quality as the rate of inspections has fallen nationally. The agency also suggests install their own air monitoring systems and linking them with the EPA’s system and increase inspections and enforcements to respond to the burning of solid fuels and its impact on air quality.