The Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

[F1 Part 2 N.I. Matters which must be included in the waste management plan

F1 Sch. 3 substituted (18.12.2020) by The Waste (Circular Economy) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/285), regs. 1(1), 2(7)

Analysis of the current waste management situation etc. N.I.

5.   The waste management plan must include an analysis of the current waste management situation, an analysis of the measures to be taken to improve environmentally sound preparation for re-use, recycling, recovery and disposal of waste and an evaluation of how the waste management plan will support the implementation of the objectives and provisions of the Waste Framework Directive.

General policies in relation to waste and litter N.I.

6.   The waste management plan must include such matters as the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs considers appropriate, taking into account the geographical level and geographical area to which the waste management plan relates and including at least the following–

(a) the type, quantity and source of waste generated within Northern Ireland;

(b) the waste likely to be shipped from or to Northern Ireland;

(c) an evaluation of the development of waste streams in the future;

(d) existing major disposal and recovery installations, including any special arrangements for waste containing significant amounts of critical raw materials, [F2 waste oils or hazardous waste] ;

(e) an assessment of the need for closure of existing waste installations, and for additional waste installation infrastructure in accordance with the objective in paragraph 4;

(f) an assessment of the investments and other financial means required, including for district councils, to meet the needs identified following the assessment in sub-paragraph (e);

(g) an assessment of existing waste collection schemes, including the material and territorial coverage of separate collection and measures to improve their operation, of any exceptions to the requirement for waste to be subject to separate collection and of the need for new collection schemes;

(h) sufficient information on the location criteria for site identification and on the capacity of future disposal or major recovery installations, if necessary;

(i) general waste management policies, including planned waste management technologies and methods, or policies for waste posing specific management problems;

(j) measures to combat and prevent all forms of littering and to clean up litter; and

(k) appropriate qualitative or quantitative indicators and targets, including on the quantity of generated waste and its treatment and on municipal waste that is disposed of or subject to energy recovery.

F2 Words in Sch. 3 para. 6(d) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Environment (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/584), regs. 1, 14(b); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Policies in relation to packaging waste N.I.

7.   The waste management plan must, in pursuance of the objectives and measures referred to in the Packaging Waste Directive, include a chapter on the management of packaging and packaging waste, including measures taken–

(a) that consist of—

(i) Northern Ireland, or United Kingdom, programmes;

(ii) incentives through extended producer responsibility schemes; or

(iii) similar actions,

to prevent generation of packaging waste and minimise the environmental impact of packaging;

(b) to achieve a sustained reduction in the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags;

(c) to actively encourage public information and awareness campaigns concerning the adverse environmental impact of the excessive consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags; and

(d) to encourage the increase in the share of re-usable packaging placed on the market and of systems to re-use packaging in an environmentally sound manner without compromising food hygiene or the safety of consumers.

Policies in relation to separate collection of waste N.I.

8.   The waste management plan must include measures to promote high quality recycling including the setting up of separate collections of waste, subject to regulation 18 of the Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011.

Policies in relation to bio-waste N.I.

9.   The waste management plan must contain measures, as appropriate, in accordance with the objectives in paragraphs 2 and 3—

(a) to encourage the recycling, including composting and digestion, of bio-waste in a way that fulfils a high level of environment protection and results in output which meets relevant high-quality standards;

(b) to encourage home composting; and

(c) to promote the use of materials produced from bio-waste.

Policies in relation to preparing for re-use N.I.

10.   The waste management plan must include measures to be taken to promote preparing for re-use activities, in particular—

(a) measures to encourage the establishment and support of preparing for re-use and repair networks;

(b) measures to facilitate, where compatible with proper waste management, the access of preparing for re-use and repair networks to waste held by collection schemes or facilities that can be prepared for re-use but is not destined for preparing for re-use by those schemes or facilities;

(c) the use of economic instruments;

(d) the use of procurement criteria; and

(e) the setting of quantitative objectives.

Policies in relation to recycling targets and landfill reduction targets N.I.

11.   The waste management plan must include policies in relation to preparing for re-use, recovery and recycling targets including—

(a) measures to be taken to ensure that—

(i) by 2025, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to at least 55% by weight;

(ii) by 2030, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to at least 60% by weight; and

(iii) by 2035, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to at least 65% by weight; and

(b) measures to be taken to ensure that the amount of municipal waste landfilled is reduced to 10% or less of the total amount of municipal waste generated (by weight) by 2035.]