SEA Environmental Report Eastern - Midlands Draft Regional Waste Management Plan 2015 - 2021 onomy c e r a l circu ry recove y ficienc f e e c r resou reuse r o f g n i prepar tion preven r eco circula ng for i r a p e r p partne get lan Tar P ucture Target n a l P rship nomy str in Annum infra r e P n uctio old 1% Red Househ f o y it t capita Quanng rethceaystcelGi enerated pehre plan. W d of t e perio h t r e v o ng recycli tio protec tion preven tion protec osal ct disp e ir d e te th al Elimina d residu e s s e c o dfill. of unpr e to lan t s a w l a municip reuse ry recove weight pay by n ion educat et g r a T n Pla ry recove se and for Reu g in r a 0% of Prep urce te of 5 a R g e r n li 0.so 2 0 2 y Recyc eb al Wast Municip nt me enforce cy efficien tion protec new region new vision www.emwr.ie [EasternMidlandsRegion] TABLEOFCONTENTS NONTECHNICALSUMMARY...........................................................................................................6 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................25 1.1 WASTEMANAGEMENTINIRELAND..................................................................................................25 2 CONTENTSANDMAINOBJECTIVESOFTHEPLAN..............................................................28 2.1 RESPONSIBLEAUTHORITYFOREASTERNMIDLANDS............................................................................28 2.2 KEYWASTETERMINOLOGYUSEDINTHEPLAN....................................................................................28 2.3 REQUIREMENTFORAREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENTPLAN...............................................................29 2.4 AREACOVEREDBYTHEPLAN...........................................................................................................30 2.5 INTRODUCTIONTOTHEREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENTPLAN...........................................30 2.6 STRATEGICVISIONOFTHEREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENTPLAN........................................................32 2.7 STRATEGICOBJECTIVESOFTHEREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENTPLAN..................................................33 3 STRATEGICENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENTMETHODOLOGY...........................................35 3.1 THESTRATEGICENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENTPROCESS.....................................................................35 3.2 WORKCOMPLETEDTODATE...........................................................................................................35 3.2.1Screening........................................................................................................................35 3.2.2Scoping............................................................................................................................36 3.3 ENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENT.......................................................................................................44 3.3.1AssessmentApproach.....................................................................................................44 3.3.2SEAEnvironmentalReport..............................................................................................45 3.3.3LinksbetweentheSEAandAAProcess..........................................................................46 3.3.4DifficultiesEncountered.................................................................................................46 3.4 SEASTATEMENT...........................................................................................................................47 4 REVIEWOFRELEVANTPLANS,POLICIESANDPROGRAMMES...........................................48 4.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................48 4.2 METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................................................48 4.3 RELEVANTPLANSANDPROGRAMMES.............................................................................................49 4.4 RELEVANTPOLICYANDLEGISLATION...............................................................................................49 4.5 RELATIONSHIPOFWASTEPLANANDOTHERPLANS/PROGRAMMES/POLICY.......................................50 5 RELEVANTASPECTSOFTHECURRENTSTATEOFTHEENVIRONMENT(BASELINE).............53 5.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................53 5.1.1StateoftheEnvironmentOverview–RepublicofIreland.............................................53 5.1.2StateoftheEnvironmentOverview–NorthernIreland................................................54 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 1 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 5.2 ENVIRONMENTALCHARACTERISTICSANDPROBLEMSINTHEEASTERNMIDLANDSREGION.......................55 5.2.1Biodiversity,FloraandFauna.........................................................................................56 5.2.2PopulationandHumanHealth.......................................................................................63 5.2.3Soil,GeologyandHydrogeology.....................................................................................73 5.2.4Water..............................................................................................................................79 5.2.5AirQualityandClimaticFactors.....................................................................................85 5.2.6MaterialAssets...............................................................................................................89 5.2.7CulturalHeritage...........................................................................................................102 5.2.8Landscape.....................................................................................................................103 5.3 INTERRELATIONSHIP..................................................................................................................105 5.4 LIKELYEVOLUTIONOFTHEBASELINEWITHOUTIMPLEMENTATIONOFTHERWMP...............................106 5.5 KEYPRESSURESINTHEEASTERNMIDLANDSREGION.......................................................................108 6 ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTIONOBJECTIVESANDSEAFRAMEWORK..............................118 6.1 DEVELOPMENTOFSTRATEGICENVIRONMENTALOBJECTIVES,TARGETSANDINDICATORS......................118 6.1.1StrategicEnvironmentalObjectives.............................................................................118 6.1.2StrategicEnvironmentalIndicatorsandTargets..........................................................118 7 ALTERNATIVES...............................................................................................................123 7.1 INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................123 7.2 APPROACHTOALTERNATIVESFORTHEEASTERNMIDLANDSREGION.................................................123 7.3 ASSESSMENTPARAMETERS..........................................................................................................124 7.4 STRATEGICALTERNATIVES...........................................................................................................125 7.4.1Retainingalineareconomymodelversusshiftingtowardsacirculareconomymodel125 7.4.2SelfsufficiencyVersusRelianceonExportsforTreatmentofResidualMunicipalType Waste............................................................................................................................127 7.4.3InclusionofMandatoryTargetsOnlyorInclusionofAdditionalNonmandatoryTargets 130 7.5 STRATEGICOBJECTIVESANDPOLICYALTERNATIVES.........................................................................132 7.5.1PolicyandLegislation....................................................................................................132 7.5.2Prevention....................................................................................................................133 7.5.3ResourceEfficiency&CircularEconomy......................................................................134 7.5.4Coordination.................................................................................................................136 7.5.5Infrastructure(Collection)............................................................................................137 7.5.6Infrastructure(ThermalRecovery)...............................................................................138 7.5.7Infrastructure(Backfilling)............................................................................................141 7.5.8Infrastructure(Disposal)...............................................................................................142 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 2 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 7.5.9RegulationandEnforcement........................................................................................143 7.5.10Protection...................................................................................................................144 7.5.11OtherWasteStreams.................................................................................................145 7.6 OVERALLPREFERREDSCENARIO...................................................................................................146 7.7 DEVELOPMENTOFSTRATEGICOBJECTIVES.....................................................................................147 8 ASSESSMENTOFPREFERREDSCENARIO.........................................................................149 8.1 ASSESSMENTAPPROACH.............................................................................................................149 8.2 ASSESSMENTPARAMETERS..........................................................................................................149 8.2.1IntegrationofSEAandAAwiththePlan......................................................................150 8.3 ASSESSMENTOFPOLICIESANDPOLICYACTIONSOFTHEPREFERREDSTRATEGICAPPROACH...................151 8.3.1PolicyActionsA–PolicyandLegislation......................................................................151 8.3.2PolicyActionsB–Prevention.......................................................................................155 8.3.3PolicyActionsC–ResourceEfficiencyandtheCircularEconomy...............................162 8.3.4PolicyActionsD–Coordination....................................................................................167 8.3.5PolicyActionsE–InfrastructurePlanning....................................................................171 8.3.6PolicyActionsF–EnforcementandRegulation...........................................................185 8.3.7PolicyActionsG–Protection........................................................................................190 8.3.8PolicyActionsH–OtherWasteStreams......................................................................195 9 MITIGATIONANDMONITORING....................................................................................200 9.1 INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................200 9.2 SOURCESOFINFORMATIONFORMONITORING...............................................................................200 9.3 MITIGATIONMEASURES..............................................................................................................200 9.4 CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................209 10 NEXTSTEPS....................................................................................................................211 LISTOFFIGURES Figure1Ireland’sWasteManagementRegions...................................................................................8 Figure2SummaryofSEAstages...........................................................................................................9 Figure3–OverviewoftheScopingProcess.........................................................................................10 Figure4–InterrelationshipsbetweentheSEATopics........................................................................19 Figure11PreviousWasteManagementRegions..............................................................................25 Figure12Ireland’sWasteManagementRegions..............................................................................27 Figure21EasternMidlandsWasteManagementRegion................................................................31 Figure51–Natura2000SitesintheEasternMidlandsRegion..........................................................61 Figure52–NaturalHeritageAreasandRamsarSitesintheEasternMidlandsRegion......................62 Figure53–PopulationDensityintheEasternMidlandsRegion.........................................................70 Figure54–OneoffHousingintheEasternMidlandsRegionwithNationalContext........................71 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 3 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Figure55–WasteServicesintheEasternMidlandsRegion...............................................................72 Figure56–HighRiskHistoricLandfillsandGroundwaterVulnerability.............................................78 Figure57–RiverBasinDistrictsintheEasternMidlandsRegion.......................................................83 Figure58–WaterQualityStatusofSurfaceWaterbodiesinEasternMidlandsRegion.....................84 Figure59–EPAWasteLicencedFacilitiesintheEasternMidlandsRegion........................................96 Figure510–LocalAuthorityCORandWFPFacilitiesintheEasternMidlandsRegion(Group1).......97 Figure511–LocalAuthorityCORandWFPFacilitiesintheEasternMidlandsRegion(Groups2,2A and3).....................................................................................................................................................98 Figure512–LocalAuthorityCORandWFPFacilitiesintheEasternMidlandsRegion(Groups4and5) ...............................................................................................................................................................99 Figure513–LocalAuthorityCORandWFPFacilitiesintheEasternMidlandsRegion(Groups6,7and 8)..........................................................................................................................................................100 Figure514–KeyInfrastructureintheEasternMidlandsRegion......................................................101 Figure515–InterrelationshipsbetweentheSEATopics.................................................................105 Figure71CircularEconomyandLinearEconomyModels...............................................................125 LISTOFTABLES Table1–KeyFactsfortheEasternMidlandsRegion.............................................................................6 Table2SEAChecklistofInformation..................................................................................................11 Table3–KeyPolicies,PlansandProgrammesfortheEasternMidlandsRegion................................13 Table4–BaselineEnvironmentandExistingEnvironmentalPressures..............................................14 Table5–SummaryAssessmentTable..................................................................................................23 Table21KeyWasteTerminology......................................................................................................28 Table31SEAStages...........................................................................................................................35 Table32MainIssues/SuggestionsfromStatutoryConsultees........................................................37 Table33MainIssues/SuggestionsfromNonStatutoryConsultees................................................42 Table34SEAEnvironmentalAssessment..........................................................................................44 Table35–RequirementofSEADirectiveandRelevantSectioninEnvironmentalReport.................45 Table41KeyRelevantPlansandProgrammes..................................................................................49 Table42KeyRelevantPolicyandLegislation....................................................................................49 Table51–EPAKeyChallengesandRelationshiptoRWMP................................................................53 Table52–SummaryofCurrentStateoftheEnvironmentinNorthernIreland.................................54 Table53–NumberandTypesofDesignatedSiteswithintheEasternMidlandsRegion...................57 Table54–SACRaisedBogswithintheEasternMidlandsRegion.......................................................59 Table55–TrendsinPopulationforCountieswithintheEasternMidlandsRegion...........................63 Table56–Urban/RuralPopulationDistributionintheEasternMidlandsRegion.............................64 Table57–QuantitiesofWasteProducedperHouseholdandExtentofCoverage............................66 Table58–ClassAandClassBSoilsMappingintheEasternMidlandsRegion...................................74 Table59–NationalFiguresforHistoricWasteDisposal.....................................................................75 Table510–HistoricWasteDisposalintheEasternMidlandsRegion................................................75 Table511–DetailsofHistoricMinesintheEasternMidlandsRegion...............................................75 Table512–GroundwaterStatusinEasternMidlandsRegion............................................................77 Table513–WaterQualityStatusofSurfaceWaterbodiesinEasternMidlandsRegion....................80 Table 514 – Presence of Water Framework Directive Protected Areas within the EasternMidlands Region....................................................................................................................................................81 Table515–WasteFacilitiesintheEasternMidlandsRegion.............................................................90 Table516–FreetradeExchangeandReuseData................................................................................93 Table517–MembersofCRNIIreland.................................................................................................93 Table518–NumberofListed/DesignatedCulturalHeritageResources..........................................102 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 4 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Table519–LikelyEvolutionoftheBaselinewithoutImplementationoftheRWMP......................106 Table520–KeyEnvironmentalPressuresintheEasternMidlandsRegion.....................................109 Table61SEAObjectives,TargetsandIndicators.............................................................................120 Table91–EnvironmentalMonitoringProgramme...........................................................................201 Table92MitigationMeasuresRelatingtoAssessmentofalternatives(seeChpt7)......................205 Table93MitigationMeasuresRelatingtoAssessmentofPoliciesandPolicyActions(seeChpt8)205 Table101RemainingStepsintheRWMP,SEAandAAprocesses..................................................211 All maps produced by RPS included in this report, utilising Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) background mapping, are covered under Ordnance Survey Ireland Licence Number EN 0005014 (Copyright Government of Ireland). [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 5 [EasternMidlandsRegion] NONTECHNICALSUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION This Environmental Report has been prepared as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)ofthedraftEasternMidlandsRegionalWasteManagementPlan(hereafterreferredtoasdraft EasternMidlands RWMP) for the EasternMidlands Region, in accordance with national and EU legislation.SEAisasystematicmethodofconsideringthelikelysignificantenvironmentaleffectsofa Plan or Programme by integrating environmental factors into the development of the Plan and relateddecisionmaking. Thepurpose ofthisEnvironmentalReportisto:a)informthedevelopmentofthePlan; b) identify describeandevaluatethelikelysignificanteffectsofthePlananditsreasonablealternatives;andc) provide an early opportunity for the statutory authorities and the public to offer views through consultation. 2 CONTENTSANDMAINOBJECTIVESOFTHEPLAN ThecontentsandmainobjectivesoftheEasternMidlandsRWMPareoutlinedinTable1. Table1–KeyFactsfortheEasternMidlandsRegion KeyFacts Nameofresponsibleauthority Dublin City Council is the lead authority for the preparation of the EasternMidlands Regional Waste Management Plan, on behalf of the 12 city and countycouncilsintheEasternMidlandsRegion. TitleofPlan EasternMidlandsRegionalWasteManagementPlan WhatpromptedthePlan? The Waste Framework Directive sets out the approachforthesustainablemanagementofwastein theMemberStatesoftheEuropeanCommunityand thishasbeentransposedintoIrishlawbytheWaste Management Act 1996 and the European Communities (Waste Directive) Regulations 2011. Thislegislationrequiresthepreparationofaregional waste management plan for all regions within the state. SubjectofthePlan Waste management including prevention, preparing for reuse, collection, recycling, other recovery and disposal(includingexports). Period covered by the Plan and frequency of ThePlanwillbeinforcefor6yearsandwillcoverthe updates? period2015–2021. AreacoveredbythePlan EasternMidlandsRegion PurposeofthePlan Toprovideforthesustainablemanagementofwaste. Contactdetails Regional Waste Coordinator, Environment and Transportation Department, Block 1, Floor 6, Civic [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 6 [EasternMidlandsRegion] KeyFacts Offices,Dublin8. TheWasteFrameworkDirectivesetsouttheapproachforthesustainablemanagementofwastein theMemberStatesoftheEuropeanCommunityandhasbeentransposedintoIrishlawbytheWaste Management Act 1996 and the European Communities (Waste Directive) Regulations 2011. The Waste Framework Directive and a number of other related directives set out a range of policy principles,mandatorytargetsandregulatoryframeworkswhichMemberStatesmusttransposeinto nationallaw. AregionalapproachtomanagingwasteinIrelandwasgivenalegalbasebytheWasteManagement Act 1996 which allowed for one or more local authorities to come together for the purpose of preparingawastemanagementplan.Tenregionswereformed,sevenofwhichweremadeupoftwo or more local authorities and covered the majority of the country and three were county regions. The first two generations of Waste Management Plans (covering the period 19982011) reflected these10regions.However,inJuly2012thelatestGovernmentNationalWastePolicydocument,A ResourceOpportunity,recommendedtheconsolidationofthewasteregionstoamaximumofthree [seeFigure1].Thetransformationfromtenregionstothreehasbeenundertakenasfollows: EasternMidlandsRegion; ConnachtUlsterRegion;and SouthernRegion. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 7 ¯ ConnachtUlster Region EasternMidlands Region Southern Region 0 50 100 Kilometers Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA Figure 1 Ireland's Waste Management Regions File Ref: MDR0998Arc1001F01 [EasternMidlandsRegion] TheEasternMidlandsWasteRegionconsistsoftheadministrativeareasofLouth,Meath,Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Kildare, Laois, Wicklow, and the four Dublin authorities Dublin, Fingal, South DublinandDúnLaoghaireRathdown. The new draft RWMP under development is presented in three parts beginning with Part 1, Background,whichsetsoutthestrategicandpolicycontextfortheplanincludingadetailedprofile of the region. Part 2, Present Position, sets out the existing situation with regard to waste data, prevention and reuse activities, waste collection and infrastructural arrangements and the management of priority waste streams. Part 3, Implementation, deals with waste projections, infrastructureplanningandtherolesandresponsibilitiesofthevariousstakeholderstothedelivery oftheRWMP.Part3alsoprovidesafinancialoverviewandadetailedbreakdownofpolicies,actions andtargetstobeachieved.Itconcludeswiththearrangementsformonitoringandreportingonplan strategy,objectives,policiesandactions. 3 SEAMETHODOLOGY ThisEnvironmentalReportcontainsthefindingsoftheassessmentofthelikelysignificanteffectson theenvironment,ofimplementingthedraftEasternMidlandsRWMP.Itreflectstherequirementsof theSEADirective(2001/42/EC)ontheassessmentoftheeffectsofcertainplansandprogrammeson theenvironmentandalsothetransposedregulationsinIreland(S.I.435/2004asamendedbyS.I.200 of2011).ThestagesfollowedintheSEAaresummarisedinFigure2below. Figure2SummaryofSEAstages IntegrationoftheSEAanddraftEasternMidlandsRWMPwasachievedthroughcloseinvolvementof relevant team members in all stages of the project, including SEA scoping; review of the existing situation; and public consultation. The SEA and Plan Teams also participated in a number of workshopsinrelationtodevelopingthe:SEAassessmentmethodology;alternativestobeconsidered in the SEA; SEA objectives, targets and indicators; and mitigation measures and monitoring strategies. The development of the draft EasternMidlands RWMP was progressed in consultation withtheRegionalWasteManagementPlanSteeringGroupcomprisingrepresentativesfromthelead authorities for the three waste regions, namely the EasternMidlands Region (Dublin City Council); the Southern Region (Limerick City and County Councils and Tipperary County Councils); and the ConnachtUlsterRegion(MayoCountyCouncil). SEAScoping The objective of scoping is to identify key issues of concern that should be addressed in the environmental assessment of the draft EasternMidlands RWMP so that they can be considered in appropriate detail. Scoping also helps determine the boundaries of the assessment in terms of geographicalextentandthetimehorizonfortheassessment.Figure3outlinesthevariouselements thatcontributetothescopeoftheSEA. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 9 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Figure3–OverviewoftheScopingProcess Consultation was carried out with the statutory consultees (Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the DepartmentofAgriculture,FoodandtheMarine),NIEAandwiththepublicandotherstakeholders. Taking into consideration feedback from consultees, a broad assessment of the potential for the draft EasternMidlands RWMP to influence the environment was carried out. All of the environmentaltopicslistedintheSEADirectivehavebeenscopedinfortheassessmentofthedraft RWMP.Theseare: Biodiversity,FloraandFauna; Population; HumanHealth; Soil; Water; Landscape; Air; ClimaticFactors; MaterialAssets;and [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 10 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Cultural,ArchitecturalandArchaeologicalHeritage. ThedraftEasternMidlandsRWMPisaregionalplanfortheEasternMidlandsWasteRegionandas suchtheassessmenthasbeenlimitedgeographicallytoactivitiesoccurringwithinthefunctionalarea ofthePlan.ThedraftEasternMidlandsRWMPwillcovertheperiodfrom2015upto2021.Inline with the SEA Directive, short, medium and longterm impacts have been considered during the assessment.AsthePlanisonaregionalscale,themajorityofthedatarelatestooverallnationaland regionalperformance. Based on the requirements of the legislation and guidance, the following information in Table 2 is providedintheEnvironmentalReport. Table2SEAChecklistofInformation RequirementofSEADirective(Article5(1),Annex1) SectionofEnvironmentalReport An outline of the contents and main objectives of the plan or Chapter2:ContentandMainObjectives programme, or modification to a plan or programme, and ofthePlan relationshipwithotherrelevantplansorprogrammes; Chapter4:EnvironmentalFramework The relevant aspects of the current state of the environment and Chapter 5: Relevant Aspects of the thelikelyevolutionthereofwithoutimplementationoftheplanor Current State of the Environment programme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme, (Baseline) Chapter 5: Relevant Aspects of the Theenvironmentalcharacteristicsofareaslikelytobesignificantly Current State of the Environment affected (Baseline) Anyexistingenvironmentalproblemswhicharerelevanttotheplan orprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme,including, Chapter 5: Relevant Aspects of the in particular, those relating to any areas of a particular Current State of the Environment environmental importance, such as areas designated pursuant to (Baseline) theBirdsDirectiveortheHabitatsDirective The environmental protection objectives, established at international,EuropeanUnionornationallevel,whicharerelevant totheplanorprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme, Chapter4:EnvironmentalFramework andthewaythoseobjectivesandanyenvironmentalconsiderations havebeentakenintoaccountduringitspreparation Thelikelysignificanteffectsontheenvironment,includingonissues such as biodiversity, population, human health, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material assets, cultural heritage Chapter8:Assessment including architectural and archaeological heritage, landscape and theinterrelationshipbetweentheabovefactors Themeasuresenvisagedtoprevent,reduceandasfullyaspossible offset any significant adverse effects on the environment of Chapter9:MitigationandMonitoring implementingtheplanorprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanor programme An outline of the reasons for selecting thealternatives dealt with, andadescriptionofhowtheassessmentwasundertakenincluding Chapter7:Alternatives anydifficulties(suchastechnicaldeficienciesorlackofknowhow) encounteredincompilingtherequiredinformation Adescriptionofthemeasuresenvisagedconcerningmonitoringof Chapter9:MitigationandMonitoring [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 11 [EasternMidlandsRegion] RequirementofSEADirective(Article5(1),Annex1) SectionofEnvironmentalReport thesignificantenvironmentaleffectsofimplementationoftheplan orprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme A nontechnical summary of the information provided under the NonTechnicalSummary aboveheadings AppropriateAssessment InadditiontothisSEA,thereisarequirementundertheEUHabitatsDirective(92/43/EEC)toassess whether the draft EasternMidlands RWMP, either alone or in combination with other plans and projects, has the potential to have a significant effect on a Natura 2000 site. These sites include areas designated for the protection and conservation of habitats and of wild flora and fauna and include Special Protection Areas (designated under the Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) and Special Areas of Conservation (designated under the Habitats Directive). An Appropriate Assessment has beencarriedoutinconjunctionwithboththeSEAandthePlanmakingprocesses. 4 REVIEWOFRELEVANTPLANS,POLICIESANDPROGRAMMES Areviewoftheplans,policiesandprogrammesrelevanttothedraftEasternMidlandsRWMPwas carried out. The review focussed primarily on National, European and International plans and programmes.Inreviewingtheotherrelevantdocuments,thefollowingquestionswereasked: Does the draft EasternMidlands RWMP contribute to the fulfilment of environmental protectionobjectivessetinotherPlans/Programmes/Policy/Legislation?;and To what degree are the environmental protection objectives set in these other Plans/Programmes/Policy/LegislationimpactedbythedraftEasternMidlandsRWMP? ThefindingsofthereviewhelpeddefinetheobjectivesfortheSEAandinformedtheassessmentof alternativeoptions.Someofthekeyplans,programmesandpoliciesareincludedinTable3. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 12 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Table3–KeyPolicies,PlansandProgrammesfortheEasternMidlandsRegion European SeventhEnvironmentalActionProgramme RoadmaptoaResourceEfficientEurope SEADirective(2001/42/EC) EIADirective(2014/52/EC) EUHabitatsDirective(92/43/EC) ConservationofWildBirdsDirective(2009/147/ECcodified) EnvironmentalLiabilitiesDirective(2004/35/CE) WasteFrameworkDirective(2008/98/EC) WaterFrameworkDirective(2000/60/EC) FloodsDirective(2007/60/EC) IndustrialEmissionsDirective(2010/75/EU) EU202020Agreement National NationalSpatialStrategy(20022020) OurSustainableFuture:AFrameworkforSustainableDevelopmentinIreland(2012) NationalBiodiversityPlan(20112016)andNPWSConservationPlansforSACsandSPAs NationalClimateChangeStrategy(2007–2012) HeritagePlansandFrameworkandPrinciplesfortheProtectionofArchaeologicalHeritage NationalHazardousWasteManagementPlan20142020 NationalWastePreventionProgramme SludgeManagementPlan(underdevelopment) EnvironmentalAssessmentofCertainPlansandProgrammesRegulationsS.I.435/2004 BirdsandHabitatsRegulationsS.I.477/2011(asamended) Planning and Development Act (as amended) and Planning and Development Regulations S.I. 600/2001 (as amended) WasteManagementAct1996 EnvironmentalLiabilityRegulationsS.I.547/2008 IndustrialEmissionsRegulationsS.I.138/2013 Regional RegionalPlanningGuidelines DraftEasternMidlandsRegionalWasteManagementPlan RiverBasinManagementPlans(20092014) CatchmentFloodRiskAssessmentandManagementPlans [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 13 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 5 RELEVANTASPECTSOFTHECURRENTSTATEOFTHEENVIRONMENT (BASELINE) As this strategic environmental assessment deals with a plan for the EasternMidlands Region, the baselinedataisfocusedatthenationalandregionlevel.ItisrecognisedthatIrelandsharesaland boundary with Northern Ireland and as waste movements include those between the two jurisdictions,thecurrentstateoftheenvironmentforNorthernIrelandhasalsobeenreferenced. Ireland’snaturalenvironment,althoughunderincreasingpressure,generallyremainsofgoodquality and represents one of the country’s most essential national assets, however pressures have increasedsignificantly(EPA,2012).Intheir5thandmostrecentstateoftheenvironmentreview,the EPAidentifiedfourprioritychallengesfortheenvironment,which,ifaddressedsuccessfully,should benefit the present and future quality of Ireland’s environment. These comprise: Valuing and Protecting our Natural Environment; Building a ResourceEfficient, Low Carbon Economy; ImplementingEnvironmentalLegislation;andPuttingtheEnvironmentattheCentreofOurDecision Making.Allofthesearehighlyrelevanttowastemanagementandthecurrentwastemanagement planningprocess.Table4setsoutexistingenvironmentalpressuresintheEasternMidlandsRegion. Table4–BaselineEnvironmentandExistingEnvironmentalPressures Theme BaselineEnvironmentandExistingEnvironmentalPressures Irelandsupportsawidevarietyofspeciesandhabitats,manyofwhichareofinternational importanceandasacountry,Irelandhasdesignatedsitesandspeciesofconservationvalue and/orconcerninanefforttoprotectitsbiodiversityresource.However,significantaspects ofbiodiversityinIrelandareunderthreatfromarangeofunsustainableactivities. Biodiversity Floraand Fauna WithintheEasternMidlandsRegionthereareover80sitesdesignatedasSpecialAreasof ConservationundertheEUHabitatsDirectiveandafurther39designatedundertheBirds Directive.Everysixyears,theNationalParksandWildlifeServicepublishareportdetailing theconservationstatusinIrelandofthesehabitatsandspecies.The NPWSConservation Status reports indicate that many Irish species of flora and fauna have a moderately satisfactoryconservationstatus;however,asmallnumberareinurgentneedofconcerted effortstoprotectthem. Existingpressuresarisingfromwastemanagementinclude:habitatloss,fragmentationand disturbance as a result of construction of the waste infrastructure; pollution from un authoriseddisposalsitesparticularlyinmoreremoteareas;deteriorationinwaterqualityas aresultofleachatefromwasteactivities(authorised/unauthorised). Population andHuman Health The total population of the EasternMidlands Region in the most recent 2011 census was justover2.2million.Thisrepresents48%ofIreland’spopulation.DublinandtheGreater DublinArea (GDA) accountfor 81% of the region’s population. The region accounted for 694,441 tonnes of managed waste according to the latest EPA figures. In 2012 approximately214,200tonnesofmunicipalwastewasreportedasuncollected/unmanaged nationally which equates to approximately 16% of occupied houses within Ireland. The percentageofintheEasternMidlandsRegionisrelativelylow(11%),althoughtheproblem hasnotbeeneliminated.Unmanagedhouseholdwastecontributestobackyardburningand illegaldumping. There have been changes in the waste collection sector with the majority of local authoritiesexitingthedomesticwastecollectionmarketandprivateoperatorstakingover. This has led to multiple operators, particularly in urban areas, competing for waste collection services, although the extent of competition (i.e. number of service providers) variesandisnotalwayscomparable(i.e.someoperatorsoffera2binservice,othersa3 bin).Bycontrast,manyruralareasdonothavecompetitionforservices. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 14 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Theme BaselineEnvironmentandExistingEnvironmentalPressures Significantgrowthinpopulationhasoccurredinurbanandruralareasandthisgrowthhas resulted in individual houses in the countryside and housing clusters in small villages throughout much of the country. This places increased pressure on waste collection systems. In general there are better kerbside collection systems available in the main populationcentresintheregion. ThepredominantsoiltypesintheEasternMidlandsRegionareacidandbasicdeeppoorly drained mineral soils and shallow welldrained mineral soils which occur throughout the region. There are30 licensed landfills in the EasternMidlandsRegion, consisting of 3active inert landfills,2activemunicipalsolidwastelandfillsand25closedlandfills.Ofparticularnotein relationtosoils,geologyandhydrogeologyistheissueofhistoriclandfills.Therearea154 historic landfills recorded for the EasternMidlands Region. These sites are variously Soils, covered under Section 22 of the Waste Management Act (WMA) 1996 and the Historic Geologyand Landfill Regulations 2008and include illegal sites, local authority sites, pre1977 sites and Hydrogeology private sites. Of these, 19 are considered high risk. Historic landfill sites pose particular risksforgroundwaterandsurfacewaters,aswellassoilsasaresultofleachatesformed frombreakdownofthewastes.Thiscaninturnimpactonbiodiversityandhumanhealth. Despite the wide range of functions that soils perform from an ecosystem services perspective,thereislittleornolegislationrelatingdirectlytosoilsandsoilprotectionand assuchatargetedresponsetothepressureonsoilsinIrelandcannotbeformulatedtoany greatextent. Water The EasternMidlands Region incorporates all or part of five River Basin Districts: the Eastern; SouthEastern, Shannon (international), NorthWestern and NeaghBann. The regioncontainssectionsofanumberofimportantcatchments,suchastheShannon,Inny, Liffey,BarrowandBoyneandanumberofriversandcanalstravelthroughtheregion,the primary ones being the Shannon, Barrow, Nore, Suir, Boyne and the Grand and Royal Canals.LoughsReeandLoughDergarethetwomainlakesintheMidlands.BoththeRoyal andGrandCanalscrosstheEasternMidlandsRegionfromeasttowestconnectingDublin with the River Shannon. Of the rivers which have been classified (42.5%) in the region, 12.8%areconsideredtobeofgoodstatusorabove.Thefigureforlakeswhichhavebeen classified (48.9%) is 28.1% at good status but none are considered to have reached high status. Unlicensed/unregulated landfill sites and historical and illegal dumping sites are all potential sources of water pollution. These sites due to their historic and unregulated naturearenotengineeredwithlinerandleachatecollectionssystemsinplace.Dangerous substances associated with leachate from such sites can be toxic to aquatic plants and animals. As such, they can persist in waters and sediments, and slowly build up in the bodiesofaquaticorganisms. An additional pressure is in the form of illegal activities such as diesel laundering, a by productofwhichresultsinhazardoustoxicsludge,sulphuricacidwashandcontaminated absorbent material which may result in water pollution if inappropriately managed with potentialriskstohumanhealththroughcontaminationofdrinkingwatersupplies. IngeneralambientairqualityinIrelandisgoodduelargelytotheprevailingcleanwesterly airflowfromtheAtlanticandtherelativeabsenceoflargecitiesandheavyindustry. AirQuality andClimatic Factors TheEUCommission’sproposalrequiresIrelandtodelivera20%reductioninemissionsof greenhouse gases relative to the 1990 levels by 2020. Despite the current economic downturnleadingtoamarkedreductioninIreland’sGHGemissionsthis20%reductionon 1990levelswillbedifficulttoachieve.ThelatestdatafromtheEPAindicatethatemissions of GHGs in Ireland in 2012were 57.92Mt CO2 equivalent which represents an increase of 1.0% on emissions in 2011. The waste sector is the smallest contributor to the overall emissions and presently contributes 1.8% of GHGs and has seen a 2.7% decrease in its emissionsfrom2011.Thisrelatesmainlytothereductioninmethaneemittedfromlandfills [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 15 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Theme BaselineEnvironmentandExistingEnvironmentalPressures of which there has been an 11.7% reduction in 2012. However, emissions from waste to energyfacilitieshaveincreasedby0.07MtofCO2equivalentin2012whichreflectsthefirst fullyearofcommercialoperationattheIndaverIrelandfacilityinCo.Meath.Itshouldbe notedthatthecementsectorfallsundertheIndustryandCommercialSectorandIndustrial emissionswhichaccountedfor14.7%ofGHGemissions,increasedby1.6%from2011,the largestsourceofemissionsinthiscategorywhichisfromlargecombustionsourceswithin the EU European Trading Scheme (ETS). The cement industry, of which two thermal treatment facilities in the EasternMidlands Region are part of, showed an increase of almost18%in2012on2011levels. Under the CAFE Directive, Ireland is required to reduce levels of PM2.5 by 10% between 2012and2020.Thisreductionwillbechallengingasitwillrequireanintegratedapproach across a number of sectors including industrial, transport and residential emissions. The test in meeting Ireland’s obligations under the National Emissions Ceiling Directive is greater,inparticularforoxidesofnitrogen. The EasternMidlands Region has good accessibility, with an extensive road, rail, bus, air andseatransportnetwork.Thereisapproximately625kmofexistingCommuter,DARTand IntercityrailinfrastructureintheEasternMidlandsRegion,581kmofwhichisinactiveuse. DublinAirportisthemaininternationalairportfortheEasternMidlandsRegionandisalso the busiest airport in Ireland, managing approximately 60,000 passengers per day. The main ports are Drogheda, Dublin and Dún Laoghaire, with Dublin and Dún Laoghaire operating as international ferry ports. The EasternMidlands Region includes a significant coastlineandaccesstomarinewaterswhichareusedforrecreationandindustry,notably aquaculture. The areas within Ireland that have higher concentrations of aquaculture include Donegal, Carlingford Lough, Wexford, Waterford, West Cork, Kerry, Galway and Mayo.ThefinfishproductioninIrelandwasvaluedbyBordIascaighMhara(BIM)in2012at nearly€83millionwhileshellfishwasvaluedatnearly€50millionforthesameyear(BIM Strategy20132017). Material Assets The EasternMidlands Region has 93 EPA licenced waste infrastructure facilities and 246 local authority waste facilities. There is a higher concentration of facilities towards the eastern part of the region which would be representative of the higher waste volumes generatedintheDublinarea.Thereareonly2activemunicipalsolidwastelandfillsinthe EasternMidlandsRegion,3facilitiesthatareactivelyreceivinginertwasteand25thatare closed. One of the main principles of waste policy over recent years has been to significantlyreducetherelianceonlandfillasadisposalmethodforwaste. Energy recovery within the region includes waste recovered at a waste to energy (WtE) facilityandalsosolidrecoveredfuels(SRF)usedasanalternativefuelsourceintwocement manufacturingfacilities.TheWtEfacilityislocatedatCarranstowninCountyMeathandis Ireland’sfirstwastetoenergyfacilityformunicipaltypewaste.Thisfacilityislicensedto treatupto200,000tonnesofwasteperyearandtorecoverenergy.Itaccepted175,000 tonnesofmixedmunicipalwastein2013,inadditiontootherwasteforenergyrecovery.A secondwastetoenergyfacilityintheregion,(DublinCity)hasfullplanningpermissionsand islicensedtotreatupto600,000tonnesofwasteperannum. More waste is being generated in Ireland, with more waste being exported. The energy generatedfromthisexportedwasteisnotonlyarevenue,whichisbeinglosttotheIrish economy, but more importantly it is a potential energy source which provides electricity andheattobusinessesandhomeselsewhere.Longtermrelianceonexportsandfailureto capitalise on the embedded energy in residual waste requires examination, with energy costsandsecuritybecomingasignificantnationalissue. Cultural Heritage There are over 26,000 Record of Monuments and Places (RMP), listedin the region. The RMPlististhestatutorylistofallknownarchaeologicalmonumentsinIrelandascompiled bytheArchaeologicalSurveyofIreland,partoftheDepartmentofArts,Heritageandthe Gaeltacht. In addition, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH), which identifies, records and evaluates the post1700 architectural heritage of Ireland accounts [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 16 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Theme BaselineEnvironmentandExistingEnvironmentalPressures for over 11,000 entries in the region. There is one UNESCO site in the EasternMidlands Region, Brú na Bóinne which is situated in County Meath. The passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are the largest Megalithic sites in Europe and are one of themainfeaturesofBrúnaBóinne.Afurther3sitesontheUNESCOtentativelist occur withintheregion. Economic growth and increasing population is placing pressure on sites or features of architectural, archaeological or cultural heritage interest. Individual developments put directpressureonthisresource,whereitisinproximity,orwhereitincreasesthepotential tointeractwithknownorpreviouslyunknownsitesandfeatures.Togetherwiththeexisting pressures on landscape and visual resources, this can result in an impact on the overall culturalheritageresource. Landscape TheEasternMidlandsRegioncoversanareaofaround14,500km2whichrepresentsabout 21% of the country. The region is home to rich agricultural land, coastline, the city of Dublin,manytownswhichformpartoftheGreaterDublinAreaanditscommuterbeltand significant areas of the central plain. The coastline runs from Louth to Wicklow, and is comprised of sandy beaches with intermittent rocky headlands, the length of which is approximately 416km long (including islands). The main mountain ranges include the Dublin and Wicklow ranges, the Slieve Bloom Mountains and the Cooley Mountains bordering Louth to the north. The low lying midlands consists of a combination of arable land and raised bogs, primarily in Offaly and Westmeath, which provide for a large scale commercialpeatindustryinthesurroundingarea.TheRiverShannonformstheprincipal western boundary of the region, and expands into Lough Ree in Westmeath. There are numerous other lakes in the region including Lough Ennel, Lough Owel, and Lough Derevaragh.BranchesoftheGrandCanalandtheRoyalCanalcrossthroughtheregionas doestheRiverBarrow. Existing pressures on landscape and visual resources are primarily related to impacts to sensitive views and landscapes resulting from the secondary impacts from the siting of development. The absence of a cohesive national landscape strategy which seeks to preserveand/orprotectsuchhistoricalandculturallandscapes,landscapesofamenityand socialvalueandfeaturesofscenicvalueplacesmuchoftheemphasisonlocalauthorities, howevertheapproachestakenareoftennotconsistent. BaselineEnvironmentandExistingEnvironmentalPressures–NorthernIreland WiththepublicationoftheNorthernIrelandWasteManagementStrategythereisafocustowards greaterwastepreventionandareductioninconsumption.Thesingleusecarrierbaglevyhasgiven risetoareducedconsumptionrateofmorethan80%initsfirstyearofoperation. Therehasbeencontinuedimprovementinairqualitybutproblemsdoremainandcontinuedeffortis requiredtoreduceairpollutionfromkeysourcessuchasroadtransportandagriculture.Therehas alsobeenareductioningreenhousegasemissionsbutroadtransportemissionsarestillincreasing. AkeypriorityforclimatechangewillbetheimplementationoftheNorthernIrelandClimateChange AdaptationProgramme. The overall status of water bodies in Northern Ireland has not significantly changed from that recorded in 2009 but improvements have been identified in water utility discharges and drinking waterquality.Therehasalsobeenareductioninwaterpollutionincidents.Thekeychallengesfor thewaterbodiesrelatetodiffusenutrientpollution,chemicalstatusofthewaterenvironmentand measurestoaddressphysicalmodifications.Therehasbeenanimprovementtotheoverallqualityof [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 17 [EasternMidlandsRegion] the marine environment, including bathing water quality and beaches, around Northern Ireland’s shores. This can be directly linked to improvements in waste water treatment. Despite continued action many key elements of biodiversity continues to decline. In particular since 2000 grassland habitats have shown the most decline, but in contrast woodland habitats have increased. The key pressuresidentifiedrelatetolandusechangesthroughagricultureanddevelopmentwithadditional pressuressuchaspollution,invasivespeciesandfisheriespractices. Therehasbeenamarkedchangeinthelandscapewiththedevelopmentofuplandwindfarmsand thesignificantdeclineinhousingdevelopmentwhichhasreducedpressureonlanduse.Thekeyrisks identified to archaeological resources come from agricultural land use and urban activities. Built heritage has provided emerging opportunities in relation to regeneration, tourism and economic development. InterRelationships The interrelationship between the SEA environmental topics is an important consideration for environmental assessment. Figure 5 highlights the key interrelationships identified in this SEA. These potential interrelationships have been taken into account in the assessment of the different alternatives. A key interrelationship is between air quality, climate and human health. Methane emissionsfromlandfillinghaveimpactsonairqualityandconsequentlyhumanheathbutinaddition, methaneisasignificantgreenhousegasthatcancontributetoclimatechangeandfloodingwhichin turnhasimplicationsforpopulationandhumanhealth,particularlyincoastalregions. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 18 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Biodiversity, Flora,Fauna X Population /HumanHealth X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Soil Water Air,Climatic Factors MaterialAssets Cultural Heritage Landscape Cultural Heritage Material Assets Air,Climatic Factors Water Soil Population /Human Health Biodiversity Flora,Fauna Landscape Figure4–InterrelationshipsbetweentheSEATopics EvolutionoftheEnvironmentintheAbsenceoftheRWMP Without the implementation of the EasternMidlands RWMP it could reasonably be expected that wastemanagementintheregionwouldcontinuetobemanagedinalesscoordinatedmanner,thus the cumulativeandsynergisticimpactsontheenvironmentofincreasing populationand increased wastegenerationacrosstheregionwouldcontinuealbeitinthecontextofexistingwasteprevention measures already in place. Critically the framework in place would not facilitate the coordinated approach to assessing waste management infrastructure requirements within the state and may resultinovercapacityofcertaintypesofinfrastructureandlackofspatialdistributionnationally. Biodiversity, flora and fauna in the region, including protected sites, habitats and species, would continuetoexistinmuchthesamepattern,abundanceanddensityastodayhowevertherewould be continued risk to biodiversity as a result of ongoing legacy issues from historic landfills; illegal dumping; and backyard burning. Without a coordinated response to these issues, the risk to biodiversitywouldnotbeaddressed.Similarly,theabsenceoftheplanhasthepotentialtoincrease therisktoculturalheritageandthelandscapewhereoversupplyorpoorsitingofinfrastructureputs pressure on these resources. Water quality in Ireland is likely to continue to improve in line with effortsbeingmadebytheRiverBasinManagementPlan(RBMP)andProgrammeofMeasures(PoM) throughout Ireland. The rate of this improvement in surface waters would be expected to remain insufficienttomeettherequirementofachievinggoodstatusinallwatersby2015asrequiredbythe WaterFrameworkDirective.AirqualityinIrelandisofahighstandardacrossthecountry,meeting [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 19 [EasternMidlandsRegion] allEUairqualitystandards,accordingtotheEPA.TheabsenceoftheEasternMidlandsRWMPisnot expectedtoaffectthistrend. The lack of coordinated resources would continue to deliver uncoordinated infrastructure and programmes in different parts of the country. This could contribute to increases in unmanaged waste material, backyard burning and illegal dumping. These practices in turn would give rise to deteriorationofairquality,waterandsoilsqualityandpossiblyhumanhealth.Intheabsenceofthe EasternMidlandsRWMPitislikelythattightercontrolswouldstillbeputinplaceonunsustainable residential development, including one off housing thereby curbing the cumulative effects of servicingadispersedpopulation. The programme of remediation of unregulated historic landfills and licensed sites would continue albeit on a more ad hoc basis than would be implemented through the new plan which allows for more effective and efficient management of local authority resources. The EPA Code of Practice: (EPA, 2007) and Guidance (EPA, 2013) would continue to be used when assessing unregulated historiclandfillsandlicensedfacilities. 6 ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTIONOBJECTIVESANDSEAFRAMEWORK ThereareessentiallythreetypesofObjectivesconsideredaspartofthisSEA.Thefirstrelatestothe ObjectivesoftheWasteFrameworkDirectiveandtheEasternMidlandsRWMP.Thesecondrelates towiderEnvironmentalObjectives,i.e.environmentalprotectionobjectivesatnationalandEuropean level, and finally there are the Strategic Environmental Objectives, which were devised to test the environmental effects of implementation of the policies and policy actions contained in the draft EasternMidlandsRWMP. TheStrategicEnvironmentalObjectivesareseparatetotheEasternMidlandsRWMPobjectivesand provide a statement of what is intended from an environmental perspective, giving a desired direction of change. The Strategic Environmental Objectives reflect the existing environmental concernsinIrelandrelevanttowastemanagementandtakeaccountofthescopingandconsultation feedback.TheselectedobjectivesforthisSEAarelistedbelowinBox1. Box1:StrategicEnvironmentalObjectiveSelected Obj.1BiodiversityFloraandFauna:Preserve,protectandmaintaintheterrestrial,aquaticand soilbiodiversity,particularlyEUandnationallydesignatedsitesandprotectedspecies. Obj. 2 Biodiversity Flora and Fauna: Integrate biodiversity considerations into the Eastern MidlandsRWMP. Obj. 3 Population and Human Health: Protect human health from the impacts of waste managementbyensuringwastepreventionandrelatedactivitiesarepromotedatcommunity andindividuallevel. Obj. 4 Population and Human Health: Promote and encourage access and services for appropriatewastemanagementforall. Obj.5Soils:Safeguardsoilqualityandquantityfromwasteandreducesoilcontamination. Obj.6Water:Protectwaterqualityandthewaterresourcefromwasteactivities. Obj.7AirQuality:Minimiseemissionsofpollutantstoairassociatedwithwastemanagement. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 20 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Box1:StrategicEnvironmentalObjectiveSelected Obj. 8 Climatic Factors: Minimise contribution to climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses associated with the prevention and management of wastes and adapt to thepotentialeffectsofclimatechangethroughappropriatesitingofwasteinfrastructure. Obj. 9 Material Assets: Support sustainable waste management activities without conflicting withenvironmentalprotectionobjectives. Obj.10MaterialAssets:Minimisetransportimpactsofwastemanagementactivities. Obj. 11 Cultural Heritage: Protect places, features, buildings and landscapes of cultural, archaeologicalorarchitecturalheritagefromimpactasaresultofwasteactivities. Obj.12Landscape:Protectandmaintainthenationallandscapecharacter. Obj. 13 Social: Promote sustainable management of waste at an individual, community, regionalandnationallevel. The overall purpose of environmental indicators in the SEA is to provide a way of measuring the environmentaleffectofimplementingthedraftEasternMidlandsRWMP.Environmentalindicators are also used to track the progress in achieving the targets set in the SEA as well as the Eastern MidlandsRWMPitself.TheproposedindicatorsforthisSEAhavebeenselectedbearinginmindthe availabilityofdataandthefeasibilityofmakingdirectlinksbetweenanychangesintheenvironment andtheimplementationoftheEasternMidlandsRWMP. Targets were considered over the duration of the baseline data collection and assessment, and throughouttheconsultationprocess,inordertomeettheStrategicEnvironmentalObjectivesaswell as the objectives of the EasternMidlands RWMP. In each case, any target that is set must be attributable to the implementation of the EasternMidlands RWMP. The targets and indicators associatedwitheachSEAObjectivearepresentedinChapter6ofthereport. 7 ALTERNATIVES EarlydiscussionofpossiblealternativeswasundertakenaspartofthescopingforthedraftEastern MidlandsRWMP,whichwasthesubjectofpublicconsultation.Subsequentconsiderationwasthen given with the Plan, SEA and AA teams involved in generation of alternatives and development of policiesandpolicywording. At the strategic level, given the statutory requirement [under both EU and national waste managementlegislation]forthedraftEasternMidlandsRWMPtobereviewedandupdated,itwas not proposed to assess a do nothing scenario or business as usual scenarios as neither were consideredrealisticgiventhattherehasbeenasignificantchangeinthemakeupofwasteregions sincethelastRWMPswerepublished.Amodifiedbusinessasusualwasinitiallyconsideredwherein thepoliciesremainunchangedfromthepreviousregionalplansandonlytherevisedboundariesare considered.Howeveritwasnotedthatthedecisiononthenewwasteregionswastakenaspartofa higherlevelpolicyoutlinedinGovernmentNationalWastePolicydocument,AResourceOpportunity1 and it was concluded that changing the national policy was not a reasonable alternative for considerationwithintheregionalplancontext. 1 AResourceOpportunity.WasteManagementPolicyinIreland,DECLG2012 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 21 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Early discussions with the plan team identified three issues ofa strategic nature which could drive thedirectionoftheplan.TheseissuesandtheirreasonablealternativeswereconsideredbytheSEA teamandoutcomesfedbacktotheplanteamforconsideration.Theissuesandalternativeswere: Retainingalineareconomymodelversusshiftingtowardsacirculareconomymodel; Selfsufficiency versus reliance on exports for treatment of residual municipal type waste;and Inclusionofmandatorytargetsonlyorinclusionofadditionalnonmandatorytargets.Furthermore, followingonfromconsiderationofthestrategicalternatives,thePlan,SEAandAAteamsconsidered alternativesunderkeystrategicpolicyareasasfollows: Policyandlegislation; Prevention; ResourceefficiencyandCircularEconomy; Coordination; Infrastructure; EnforcementandRegulation;and Protection;and Otherwastestreams. Basedontheoutcomeoftheassessmentofalternativesapreferredstrategywasdevelopedbythe plan team which included policies and policy actions. These policies and policy actions were the subject of a detailed assessment by both the SEA and AA teams. It is noted that the process was iterativeandwordingchangeswerefedthroughtotheplanteamoverthecourseoftheassessment wherenegativeimpactsweredetermined.Wherechangestowordingwerenotpossibleorsufficient tooffsetanegativeassessment,mitigationmeasuresweredevelopedbytheSEAandAAteams. 8 ASSESSMENT TheapproachusedforassessingthedraftEasternMidlandsRWMPwasanobjectiveledassessment. Forthepurposesofthisassessmentplus(+)indicatesapotentialpositiveimpact,minus()indicates a potential negative impact, plus/minus (+/) indicates that both positive and negative impacts are likely or that in the absence of further detail the impact is unclear, and a neutral or no impact is indicatedby0. At the broad level, implementation of the EasternMidlands RWMP is expected to bring environmental improvements, since it tackles specific pressures arising from waste management activities.Thefocusoftheproposedstrategyisonpreventionintermsofwastegenerationinthe firstinstanceandthenonreuseandrecyclingasameanstoreducingtheamountofmaterialgoing towasteandrequiringcollection,treatmentand/ordisposal.Thestrategyhaspotentialforwhich forsignificantcumulativepositiveimpactsonallenvironmentalreceptorsthroughreducedneedfor: collection(thereforereducedtransportrelatedemissionstoairandwater)andreducedtreatment/ disposal (therefore reduced process related emissions to air, soils and water). However, there are somecaseswherenegativeimpactsmayariseinthewiderenvironment.TheSEAhasidentifiedsuch areas and where mitigation of impacts can be achieved including ensuring that monitoring and regulationisadequate,andencouragingacoordinatedapproachtowastemanagementontheisland ofIreland.Inaddition,theAppropriateAssessmentresultshavebeenintegratedintotheSEAand [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 22 [EasternMidlandsRegion] wheremitigationhasbeenproposedundertheAppropriateAssessmentthishasalsobeenbrought forward into the SEA. The assessment of the policies and policy actions which form the preferred strategyissummarisedinTable5. Table5–SummaryAssessmentTable OverallImpact MitigationMeasures Recommended A. PolicyandLegislation + B. Prevention + +/ + X +/ + G. Protection +/ H. OtherWasteStreams +/ C. ResourceEfficiencyandCircularEconomy D. Coordination E. Infrastructure F. EnforcementandRegulation 9 MITIGATIONANDMONITORING Article10oftheSEADirectiverequiresthatmonitoringbecarriedouttoidentifyatan earlystage anyunforeseenadverseeffectsduetoimplementationoftheEasternMidlandsRWMP,inorderto takeremedialactionwhereadverseeffectsareidentifiedthroughmonitoring. Monitoring will focus on aspects of the environment that are likely to be significantly impacted by theEasternMidlandsRWMP.Wherepossible,indicatorshavebeenchosenbasedontheavailability of the necessary information and the degree to which the data will allow the target to be linked directlywiththeimplementationoftheEasternMidlandsRWMP. TheproposedmonitoringprogrammewillbecarriedoutasimplementationoftheEasternMidlands RWMPprogressesand,dependingonmonitoringresults,adjustmentstotargetsandindicatorsmay be made to ensure the continued effectiveness of the monitoring programme in the interest of optimalenvironmentalprotection. Atotalof36mitigationmeasureshavebeenrecommended. 10 NEXTSTEPS ThereisstillsomeimportantworktocompletebeforethisEasternMidlandsRWMPisadopted.This willincludesomefurthertechnicalandscientificplanningworkaswellasrecording,assessingand, where appropriate, taking on board comments received during consultations on the draft Eastern MidlandsRWMPandSEA. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 23 [EasternMidlandsRegion] ThenextstepintheSEAandRWMPprocesswillbeaconsultationperiodlastinguntil30thJanuary 2015.DuringthistimecommentonthefindingsoftheSEAEnvironmentalReport,theNaturaImpact ReportandthecontentofthedraftEasternMidlandsRWMPmaybesubmittedforconsideration. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 24 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 1 INTRODUCTION ThisEnvironmentalReporthasbeenpreparedaspartoftheStrategicEnvironmentalAssessmentof the EasternMidlands Regional Waste Management Plan (RWMP), 20152021 in accordance with nationalandEUlegislation.ThepurposeofthisEnvironmentalReportisto: 1.1 InformthedevelopmentoftheRWMP; IdentifydescribeandevaluatethelikelysignificanteffectsoftheRWMPanditsreasonable alternatives;and Provide an early opportunity for the statutory authorities and the public to offer views on anyaspectofthisEnvironmentalReport,throughconsultation. WASTEMANAGEMENTINIRELAND AregionalapproachtomanagingwasteinIrelandwasgivenalegalbasisbytheWasteManagement Act 1996 which allowed for one or more local authorities to come together for the purpose of preparingaRWMP.Tenregionswereformed,sevenofwhichweremadeupoftwoormorelocal authorities and covered the majority of the country and three were singlecounty regions (these wereKildare,WicklowandDonegal).TheseregionsareshowninFigure11.Thefirstregionalwaste managementplanswerepreparedinthelate1990sandmostwerebasedona15yearstrategyto maximiserecyclingandtominimisedisposal.Thisstrategicvisionremainsvalidtothisdayandisin keepingwiththeEuropeanCommission’saimforMemberStatestoembraceandfosterarecycling society. Figure11PreviousWasteManagementRegions ThefirstgenerationofRWMPscoveredtheperiod1998to2004andintroducedanewapproachto local waste management in Ireland. The plans followed the policy objectives of the State’s first National Waste Policy Statement, Changing Our Ways2, and the waste management hierarchy was placedattheheartoftheregionalplans.Theplanobjectivesincludedthewidespreadintroduction of source separated collection systems for households and business, significant improvements to local public recycling infrastructure, plans for the development of regional waste treatment 2 WasteManagementChangingOurWays.DELG,1998 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 25 [EasternMidlandsRegion] capacities, awareness and education initiatives and enforcement activities. The scope of the plans was(andstillis)substantialandisdefinedinstatutebytheWasteManagementPlanningRegulations 1997andbytheWasteFrameworkDirectiveRegulations. ThefirstgenerationofRWMPswerereviewedandreplacedovertheperiod2005to2006withthe secondgenerationofRWMPs.ThesecondgenerationofRWMPsbuiltonthefoundationsofthefirst regionalplans,expandingonpolicyobjectivestoreflectthenatureoftheoperatingenvironment,the growing market and the increased role of private sector operators. The targets set down in the originalstrategiesremainedinplaceandprovidedheadlinegoals,formostregions,to2013. The second generation of the plans were designed to cover the period up to 2010 / 2011. An evaluation of the existing RWMPs was carried out by the local authorities in 2012 in line with the requirements of Article 30 of the EU Waste Framework Directive. The outcome of this process showed that there was significant improvement in recycling rates in the period as well as building capacity in waste prevention. In addition, the outcome of this process was to recommend the preparation of new RWMPs to take account of the legislative changes brought into force by the EuropeanCommunities(WasteDirective)Regulations2011forthenewlyconfiguredwasteregions. In July 2012 the latest Government National Waste Policy document, A Resource Opportunity,3 recommended the consolidation of the waste regions to a maximum of three [see Figure 12. The documentacknowledgesthatthetimehascomefortheregionalwasteplanningframeworktobere shaped to allow for greater resource efficiencies in the implementation of the plans and to better reflectthemovementofwaste.Thenewboundarylineswillprovideforgreaterconsistencyandco ordination with other planning frameworks. The recommendation was guided by the national programme of reform of local government arrangements and the benefits identified from rationalising the regions in terms of concentration of local authority resources. The new regional structuresalsobetterrecognisethenatureoftheIrishwastemarketandthemovementofwastein theState. Thetransformationfromtenregionstothreehasbeenundertakenasfollows: EasternMidlandsRegion; SouthernRegion;and ConnachtUlsterRegion. Asimilarrationalisationiscurrentlybeingconsideredforwasteenforcement[EPAcommunicationas partofscopingresponses]. TheRWMPwasjointlypreparedbyRPSandDublinCityCouncil,theleadauthorityfortheEastern Midlands Region. The Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment have been completedbyRPSonbehalfoftheleadauthority. 3 AResourceOpportunity,WasteManagementPolicyinIreland.DECLG2012 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 26 ¯ ConnachtUlster Region EasternMidlands Region Southern Region 0 50 100 Kilometers Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA Figure 1.2 Ireland's Waste Management Regions File Ref: MDR0998Arc1001F01 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 2 CONTENTSANDMAINOBJECTIVESOFTHEPLAN 2.1 RESPONSIBLEAUTHORITYFOREASTERNMIDLANDS The lead authority for the preparation of the EasternMidlands Regional Waste Management Plan (RWMP) is Dublin City Council. The RWMP itself covers the EasternMidlands Region which incorporates all of 12 city and county council administrative areas as follows: Dublin City, Dún LaoghaireRathdown, Fingal, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, South Dublin, Wicklow andWestmeath.ThegeographicextentoftheEasternMidlandsRegion,andtheareatowhichthe RWMPpertains,isshowninFigure2.1. 2.2 KEYWASTETERMINOLOGYUSEDINTHEPLAN Table 21 outlines the key terminology used in the RWMP in reference to the waste hierarchy. A more comprehensive glossary of all relevant waste terms used in the RWMP can be found in the glossaryoftermsatthebackoftheEasternMidlandsRWMP. Table21KeyWasteTerminology Term Waste WasteManagement WasteHierarchy WastePrevention Reuse PrepareforReuse Recovery Recycling Treatment/Pretreatment [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] Explanation Definedasanysubstanceorobjectwhichtheholderdiscards,intendsto discard orisrequiredtodiscard,bytheWasteFrameworkDirective(2008/98/EC). The collection, transport, recovery and disposal of waste, including the supervisionofsuchoperationsandtheafter–careofdisposalsites,andincluding actionstakenasadealerorbroker. The Waste Framework Directive (2008) sets out a waste hierarchy which is a priority order of what constitutes the best overall environmental option in waste legislation and policy. The hierarchy places prevention at the top level followedbypreparingforreuse,recycling,energyrecoveryanddisposal. A reduction in the quantityandharmfulness to the environment of waste and thematerialsandsubstancescontainedwithinwaste. Any operation by which products or components that are not waste are used againforthesamepurposeforwhichtheywereconceived. Checking, cleaning or repairing recovery operations, by which products or componentsofproductsthathavebecomewastearepreparedsothattheycan bereusedwithoutanyotherpre–processing. Anyoperationtheprincipalresultofwhichiswasteservingausefulpurposeby replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particularfunction,orwastebeingpreparedtofulfilthatfunction,intheplant or in the wider economy. Annex II of the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) sets out a non–exhaustive list of recovery operations, which includesmaterialrecovery(i.e.Recycling),energyrecovery(i.e.Useafuel(other than in direct incineration) or other means to generate energy) and biological recovery(e.g.composting). Anyrecoveryoperationbywhichwastematerialsarereprocessedintoproducts, materialsorsubstanceswhetherfortheoriginalorotherpurposes.Itincludes thereprocessingoforganicmaterialbutdoesnotincludeenergyrecoveryand the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backfilling operations. Includes, in relation to waste, any manual, thermal, physical, chemical or biologicalprocessesthatchangethecharacteristicsofwasteinordertoreduce 28 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Term Disposal ResidualWaste Explanation itsmass,orhazardousnatureorotherwise,tofacilitateitshandling,disposal or recovery. Any operation which is not recovery even where the operation has as a secondaryconsequencethereclamationofsubstancesorenergy.AnnexIofthe Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC) sets out a non–exhaustive listofdisposaloperations. The fraction of collected waste remaining after treatment and/or diversion steps,whichgenerallyrequiresfurthertreatmentordisposal. 2.3 REQUIREMENTFORAREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENTPLAN The Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) sets out the approach for the sustainable managementofwasteinMemberStatesoftheEuropeanCommunityandhasbeentransposedinto IrishlawbytheEuropeanCommunities(WasteDirective)Regulations2011leadingtoamendments oftheWasteManagementAct1996.Thedirectiverequiresthefollowing: Theapplicationofthewastehierarchytoapplyasapriorityorderinwastepreventionand wastemanagementlegislationandpolicy; To ensure that waste is recovered (including separate collection at source to facilitate recoverywheretechnically,environmentallyandeconomicallypracticable)or,whereitisnot recovered,toensurethatwasteisdisposedofwithoutcausingriskstohumanhealthandthe environment; Toprohibittheabandonmentoruncontrolleddisposalofwaste; To establish an integrated and adequate network of waste disposal installations and of installationsfortherecoveryofmixedmunicipalwasteaimingforEUselfsufficiencyandfor MemberStatesindividuallytomovetowardsselfsufficiency; Totakenecessarymeasurestoensurethatanyholderofwasterecoversordisposesofitin anenvironmentallysoundmannerandinaccordancewiththewastehierarchyeitherdirectly orthroughathirdparty; To have a system of permits and registration for all those involved in collecting, disposing, preparingfortherecovery,orrecoveringwaste; To ensure that all those involved keep a record of all the details of their operations (the quantity, nature and, origin and destination of the waste) and are subject to periodic inspectionsandspecialcontrolstoensurethesafemanagementofhazardouswaste;and Toensurethatthecostsofwastemanagementarebornebytheoriginalwasteproduceror bythecurrentorpreviouswasteholders,inaccordancewiththepolluterpaysprinciple. Thedirectiveandanumberofotherdirectivessetoutarangeofpolicyprinciples,mandatorytargets andregulatoryframeworkswhichMemberStatesmusttransposeintonationallaw. TheRWMPsinIrelandarestatutoryplanningdocumentswhoseobjectiveistosetoutaframework forthepreventionandmanagementofwastesforadefinedregionalarea.Thepreparationofthe RWMPsisthestatutoryresponsibilityofthelocalauthoritiesandtwoormorelocalauthoritiesmay jointly prepare a RWMP. Once prepared a plan is valid for a period of up to six years and under [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 29 [EasternMidlandsRegion] statutoryobligationsmustbeevaluatedonceeverysixyears.TheEasternMidlandsRWMPwillbein forceforsixyearscoveringtheperiodfrom2015upto2021. 2.4 AREACOVEREDBYTHEPLAN The RWMP is focussed on the EasternMidlands Region. The geographic scope of the Eastern Midlands Region is shown in Figure 21. The footprint of the new EasternMidlands Region encompassesallorpartsoffivepreviousRWMPareas. Theregioncoversatotalareaofapproximately1,491,020hectares,whichequatesto17.7%ofthe areaofthecountry(8,442,100hectares).The2011populationcensusshowedthattheregionhasa population of 2,209,463 (CSO, 2011) which represents almost half of the national population (4,588,252).TheIrishSeaformstheeasternboundaryofthearea;tothesouth,Wicklowformsthe border with Wexford and Carlow in the Southern Region; Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath and Longfordlietothewest,formingtheboundarywiththeConnachtUlsterRegionandLouthformsthe boundarywiththeConnachtUlsterRegionandNorthernIrelandtothenorth. ThepotentialfortransboundaryimpactswithNorthernIrelandhasbeenacknowledgedintheSEA scoping phase and consultation has been undertaken with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland (NIEA). The EasternMidlands Region shares a land boundary with Northern Ireland along County Louth and there is therefore potential for environmental impact on water quality and biodiversityinNorthernIreland,particularlywherethereisahydrologicalpathwaywithinashared InternationalRiverBasinorwherethereisthepossibilityofaerialdepositionandspreadofinvasive species. NIEA have particularly highlighted sensitive water catchments in areas with important habitats and species, for example, Carlingford Lough which holds a European designation on both sidesoftheborder. Thepopulationoftheregionis2,209,463whichincludesanurban/ruralpopulationsplitof81/19%. Thedistributionofpeopleandtheiractivitieswithintheregionvariesfromrelativelyhighdensitiesin thecityofDublinanditscommuterbelts.ThecountiesLaois,Longford,OffalyandWestmeathhave moreruralthanurbanpopulationnumbers.Thepopulationdensityoftheregionishighcompared totherestofIrelandandtheregionhasseenapopulationgrowthofover10%inthepasttenyears. Within the last five years the population in Dublin has increased by 4%, whilst Dublin commuter townshaveexpandedatratesashighas51%.Thegreatestpopulationincreaseshavebeeninvillages withapopulationofbetween50and1,500peopleinDublin,Meath,KildareandWicklow. 2.5 INTRODUCTIONTOTHEREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENTPLAN The new draft waste management plan under development is presented in three parts beginning with Part 1, Background, which sets out the strategic and policy context for the plan including a detailedprofileoftheregion.Part2,PresentPosition,setsouttheexistingsituationwithregardto waste data, prevention and reuse activities, waste collection and infrastructural arrangements and the management of priority waste streams. Part 3, Implementation, deals with waste projections, infrastructureplanningandtherolesandresponsibilitiesofthevariousstakeholderstothedelivery oftheplan.Part3alsoprovidesafinancialoverviewandadetailedbreakdownofpolicies,actions andtargetstobeachieved.Part3concludeswiththearrangementsformonitoringandreportingon planstrategy,objectives,policiesandactions. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 30 Connacht-Ulster Region Town / City Figure 2.1 Longford Birr Athlone ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! Athy Southern Region ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! Naas ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! Wicklow Kilometers Arklow ( ! Bray Balbriggan Dublin ( ! Drogheda Dundalk Ardee Navan ( ! ( ! Baltinglass Trim Kells Portarlington Kildare ( ! Portlaoise Tullamore ( ! Mullingar Granard Eastern-Midlands Waste Management Region Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA ( ! County / Administrative Area Boundary Waste Management Region Legend 0 50 File Ref: MDR0998Arc1002F01 25 ¯ [EasternMidlandsRegion] 2.6 STRATEGICVISIONOFTHEREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENTPLAN Theapproachofthewastestrategyistoputintoplacecoherentpolicyobjectivesandactionswhich align with European and national policy and support Ireland’s move to an economy defined by higher resource efficiency and productivity. This proposed strategy is focused on recognising the importantrolethewastesectorhastoplayinhelpingIreland’shouseholds,businessesandindustry inthetransitiontowardsamoreresourceefficientandcirculareconomy. ThestrategicvisionfortheRWMPcanbesummarisedas: Torethinktheapproachtomanagingwastes,byviewingwaste streamsasvaluablematerialresourceswhichcanleadtoa healthierenvironmentandsustainablecommercial opportunitiesforoureconomy. Underpinningthisoverarchingstrategicvisionisasetofprincipleswhichwillguidethedeliveryofa sustainableRWMP.Theseprinciplesinclude: Application of the waste management hierarchy – this will remain a core principle of the waste strategy for the region. The hierarchy embodies the wider thinking of the circular economy and providesanorderoftreatmentallowingpolicymakersandregulatorstomakecleardecisions.The mantra of previous plans has been reduce reuse recycle and much effort and progress has been made,particularlyintermsofrecycling.Thisstrategynowseekstoshiftthefocusmoreontowaste preventionandmaterialreuseactivitiestherebynotcreatingwastesinthefirstplace.Recyclingis still an important strand in the strategy and in this iteration of the waste planning cycle, previous progress in the area will be built upon with a focus on better collection of quality materials. The strategy will also strive to further reduce the role of landfill in favour of higher value recovery options. Sourcesegregation – this is a wellestablished practise in the waste sector and local authorities recogniseitsvalueinrecapturingresources,creatingnewmaterialsystemsandindoingsocreating opportunitiesforenterprisesinthesector.Thestrategyseesthecontinuationofactionsinsupport of this principle, focused on harmonising kerbside systems in the region and embedding the segregatedcollectionoforganicwastesfromhouseholdersandbusinesses. Polluter pays principle – this RWMP will continue to adopt and implement actions which support thisprinciple.Inkeepingwiththeprincipletherealcostsofgeneratingwastemustbebornebythe producer.Thisincludesillegalactivitiessuchasflytippingandbackyardburningthecostofwhichis beingburdenedunfairlyoncompliantcitizensandbusinesses. Balancedandsustainableinfrastructure–thestrategicapproachovertheRWMPwillbetodeliver balancedandsustainableinfrastructureforthetreatmentofwastesinlinewiththestrategicvision andthewastehierarchy.Localauthoritieswilltakeonboardtheappropriatescaleofauthorisations and locations of new developments for all sites, in particular facilities authorised by waste facility permitandcertificatesofregistration.Infrastructureofacertaintypeandscalewillbeassessedon aregionalandnationalneedsbasis. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 32 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Selfsufficiencyandproximity–theseprinciplesarepartofthestrategicapproachunderpinningthe RWMP. The regions will work together and with other stakeholders to achieve greater self sufficiencysoIrelandistakingresponsibilityforthewastesitgenerates.Forresidualnonhazardous wastes the aim of government policy is to develop indigenous recovery infrastructure to replace landfillandfortheStatetobecomeselfsufficient.Theproximityprinciplewillbeappliedincontext tothescaleofproposeddevelopments.Thepotentialdevelopmentofnationallyimportantfacilities in the region will be viewed as such and the extent of the supply market for each assessed on its merits. Opportunityandgrowth–thisisthefundamentalprincipleofthestrategicapproachwhichseeksto support opportunity and growth for existing industry operators, social enterprises, secondary materialenterprisesandstartupcompanies. Cooperation–theneedforeffectivecooperationisfundamentaltothesuccess(orfailure)ofthe strategic approach underpinning the RWMP. No single stakeholder can or will implement successfullythepoliciesandactionsoftheRWMP. Environmental Protection – the final principle of the strategic approach is to protect the environment of the region and its citizens from the harmful impacts of managing wastes. Environmentalissuesandimpactsarebeingintegratedintoalldecisionmakingandassessmentand will help to ensure that actions and developments are environmentally sustainable. The local authoritieshavebeenguidedby thestrategic environmentalassessmentinthepreparationofthe RWMPandwillretainafocusonenvironmentalandcommunityprotectionthroughouttheperiod. 2.7 STRATEGICOBJECTIVESOFTHEREGIONALWASTEMANAGEMENT PLAN The strategic policy objectives for the plan represent the local authorities’ statement of intent embodying the strategic approach previously described. The strategic objectives are expanded furtherinthedocumentintomoredefinedpolicyobjectivesandmeasurableactions. TheoverarchingpolicyobjectivesoftheEasternMidlandsRWMPare: Policy&Legislation Prevention [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 33 [EasternMidlandsRegion] ResourceEfficiency Coordination InfrastructurePlanning Enforcement&Regulation Protection OtherWastes Specific policies and policy actions are associated with each of these strategic policy objectives. These policies and policy actions focus on the detail of targets to be achieved, timelines for achievement and those responsible for delivery in order to support the implementation of the RWMP. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 34 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 3 STRATEGICENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENTMETHODOLOGY 3.1 THESTRATEGICENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENTPROCESS The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive requires that certain Plans and Programmes,whicharelikelytohaveasignificantimpactontheenvironment,besubjecttotheSEA process.TheSEAprocessisbroadlycomprisedofthefollowingsteps,asoutlinedinTable31. Table31SEAStages SEAStep/Stage Purpose Status Screening This stage was completed in Q2 The purpose of this stage of the process 2014withadecisiontoundertake wastoreachadecision,onwhetherornot SEAoftheRWMP. anSEAoftheRWMPwasrequired. Scopingandstatutory consultation The purpose of this stage of the process was to clarifythe scope and level of detail to be considered in the environmental assessment. This was done in consultation This stage was completed in Q2 / withthedefinedstatutorybodiesforSEAin Q32014. Ireland and consultation was also undertaken with the authorities in NorthernIreland. Environmental assessmentand consultation Thepurposeofthisstageoftheprocessis to assess the likely significant impacts on the environment as a result of implementation of the RWMP and consideration of reasonable alternatives. Theoutputfromthisstageoftheprocessis an SEA Environmental Report which records this assessment. Consultation on thedraftRWMP,EnvironmentalReportand appropriateassessmentarealsopartofthis stage. SEAStatement Thepurposeofthisstageoftheprocessis to identify how environmental To be published with Final RWMP considerationsandconsultationshavebeen inearly2015. integratedintothefinalplanculminatingin theproductionofanSEAStatement. To stage was completed in November 2014. Subject of this report. 3.2 WORKCOMPLETEDTODATE 3.2.1 Screening TheSEADirectiverequiresthatcertainplansandprogrammes,preparedbystatutorybodies,which arelikelytohaveasignificantimpact ontheenvironment,besubjecttotheSEAprocess.AnSEA screeningoftheEasternMidlandsRegionalWasteManagementPlanwasundertakeninMay2014 afterwhichitwasconcludedthatSEAwouldbeundertakenforthedraftEasternMidlandsRegional [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 35 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Waste Management Plan. A copy of the Screening Statement is available on the dedicated plan website:www.emwr.ie. 3.2.2 Scoping OverviewoftheScope GeographicalScope:TheEasternMidlandsRWMPistheplanforthemanagementofwastesarising intheEasternandMidlandsRegion,comprising12cityandcountycounciladministrativeareas.The assessmentwillthereforebefocusedatactivitiesoccurringwithinthefunctionalareaoftheRWMP, whilstrecognisingthatthereisanationaldimensiontotheplan.Recognitionwillbegivenwithinthe plan to the issue of waste management in the other two waste management plan regions (the ConnachtUlster Region and the Southern Region) in the context of national capacities as well as thosespecifictotheregion. TemporalScope:TheEasternMidlandsRWMPwillbeinforceforsixyearsandwillcovertheperiod from 2015 up to 2021. In line with the SEA Directive, short, medium and longterm impacts (including reference to secondary, cumulative, synergistic,permanent and temporary, positive and negativeeffects)willbeconsideredduringtheassessment.Whilethereviewperiodfortheplanis everysixyearstherecommendationsputforwardintheplanhavealongerperspectiveandwilltake anumberofyearsforcertainaspectstobeimplementedandtakeeffect.Asaresultthetimelines proposedforassessmentoflongtermimpactsextendsbeyondthetimeframeoftheactualplan.For thepurposeoftheSEA,amediumtermhorizonofbeyond2021andalongtermhorizonofbeyond 2027 will be assessed. This will cover two full cycles of the waste management plans under the revised boundaries. It is also recognised that the changes to the waste management region boundaries is likely to result in immediate changes / impacts for existing facilities and therefore shorttermimpactswillberelevant. ScopingofSEAEnvironmentalTopics:Theenvironmentaltopics,intheSEADirectivethathavebeen scoped in for the assessment of the plan following SEA scoping in consultation with the statutory consulteesfortheSEAare:Biodiversity,floraandfauna;Populationandhumanhealth;Water;Soil; AirQuality;ClimateFactors;MaterialAssets;Cultural,ArchitecturalandArchaeologicalHeritageand Landscape. ConsultationFeedback ScopingwascarriedoutinacoordinatedmannerforallthreeRWMPbetweenJuneandJuly2014. In line with the SEA Directive, specific environmental authorities (statutory consultees) were consulted on the scope and level of detail of the information to be included in the Environmental Report.TherelevantstatutoryconsulteesthatwereconsultedaspartoftheSEAScopingphasefor theEasternMidlandsRWMPSEAwere: DepartmentofAgriculture,FoodandtheMarine(DAFM); DepartmentofArts,HeritageandtheGaeltacht(DAHG); DepartmentofCommunications,EnergyandNaturalResources(DCENR); DepartmentofEnvironment,CommunityandLocalGovernment(DECLG);and [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 36 [EasternMidlandsRegion] EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA); InrecognitionofthepotentialfortransboundaryeffectswithNorthernIreland,astheEMRborders NorthernIreland,theDepartmentoftheEnvironment,NorthernIreland(DOENI)wasalsoconsulted onthescopeandlevelofdetailoftheinformationtobeincludedintheEnvironmentalReport. Scoping for the EasternMidlands RWMP SEA was carried out with these statutory environmental authorities, based on an initial draft scoping report for the EasternMidlands Region which was providedtothefiveconsulteesonJune4th2014.Ascopingworkshopwassubsequentlyheldon23rd JuneattheCustomHouse,Dublinwhichwascoordinatedforallthreewastemanagementregions, i.e.EasternMidlands,SouthernandConnachtUlster.Representativesfromallstatutoryconsultees wereinvitedtoattendthisworkshop.Thefollowinggroupswererepresentedontheday:SEAteam for EasternMidlands, Southern and ConnachtUlster; RWMP team for EasternMidlands, Southern and ConnachtUlster; DECLG; Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and EPA. Comments made at the workshopandsubsequentwrittensubmissionsfromthestatutoryconsulteeshavebeentakeninto accountinthisEnvironmentalReport. Inadditiontothisstatutoryconsultation,adecisionwastakentoholdawiderpublicconsultationon theSEAscoping,giventhestrategicnatureoftheproposedRWMPandthewidestakeholderbase affected by the policies and objectives being developed. To facilitate this wider consultation, an advertisement was placed in two national newspapers on June 4th 2014: The Irish Times; and the Irish Independent. The advertisement stated that an SEA would be undertaken on all RWMP and that SEA scoping had commenced. Written submissions were invited from interested parties, specificallyinrelationtothescopeoftheSEA.ThedeadlineforreceiptofsubmissionswasJuly4th 2014.Writtensubmissionsreceivedfromthispublicconsultationhavebeentakenintoaccountin thisEnvironmentalReport. AsummaryoftheissuesraisedinthesubmissionsfromstatutoryconsulteesispresentedinTable 32. Table32MainIssues/SuggestionsfromStatutoryConsultees Statutory EPA How this has been dealt with in the Environmental Report/new Waste ManagementPlan? IssuesRaised RWMPneedstoconsidersludgemanagement ConsideredinChapter4,OtherPlansand plans (being prepared by Irish Water) and Programmes. howtheycanbepromotedandsupportedby LA. EPA Matrix or table should be included to show AddressedintextofEasternMidlands how RWMP measures align with WFD RWMP. requirements. EPA Include a reference to waste enforcement– relatedregionalisation. EPA Include more detail of data sources used to IncludedinChapter5,Baseline. identify key pressures and clarify how the RWMPswilladdressthekeyissues. EPA Acknowledge the distinction between waste IncludedinSection2.2ofthisreport. preventionandrecycling. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] ReferencedinSection1.1ofthisreport. 37 [EasternMidlandsRegion] How this has been dealt with in the Environmental Report/new Waste ManagementPlan? Statutory IssuesRaised EPA Include a highlevel summary of the IncludedinChapter8,Assessment. environmental aspects where potential cumulativeeffectsmightarise. EPA Include in the Environmental Report the key IncludedinChapters5Baselineand8, transboundaryissuesraisedatScopingstage. Assessment. EPA Reference provided to updated SEA Thesedocumentsarereferencedin Regulations/Circulars and the following plans Chapter4,OtherPlansandProgrammes and programmes: CFRAMS, the Regional andAppendixA. Planning Guidelines, the National Spatial Strategy and Fingal County Council’s Sludge ManagementPlan. EPA Describe whether waste management Toalimitedextent. activities on inhabited islands are to be consideredintheRWMPs. EPA Waste management activities at ports and Toalimitedextent. harbours should be described (including dredging) with reference to relevant port plans. EPA Separate out the list of Plans, programmes and Policies more aligned with waste management activities to those with less directlinks. Chapter 4 now deals with the key plans and programmes relevant to the RWMP with others included in a table in AppendixA. Thefollowingdatasourcesweresuggested: EPA Chapter 4 now deals with the key plans and programmes relevant to the RWMP Sludge management regarding with others included in a table in DomesticWWTPsandseptictanks; AppendixA. Strive Report: STRIVE 123 Management Options for the Chapter5Baselineincludesreferenceto Collection, Treatment and Disposal DomesticWWTPandseptictanks. of Sludge derived from Domestic WWTS;and The Irish Water WSSP is under development. However the issues paper Irish Water’s Water Services has been put out for public consultation StrategicPlan(WSSP). andthishasbeenreferencedinthecourse ofthisassessment. Considerincludingatablelistingdatasources considered and highlighting how each links andinfluencestheRWMPs EPA Levelofdetailpresentedinthescopingreport The need for consistency in the level of varies. Consideration should be given to detail has been noted and applied as far standardisingthelevelofdetailpresented. aspossibleinChapter8,Assessment.The focus is at the regional level in line with thelevelofdetailoftheRWMP. EPA Where environmental criteria are proposed Noted to be scoped out, the reasons should be documentedintheEnvironmentalReport. EPA A table relating Strategic Environmental SummarytableisincludedinChapter9. Objectives (SEOs), relevant mitigation measuresandmonitoringshouldbeincluded. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 38 [EasternMidlandsRegion] How this has been dealt with in the Environmental Report/new Waste ManagementPlan? Statutory IssuesRaised EPA SEO 2 should be amended to refer to SEO2 now refers to sustainable “sustainablewastemanagement”. development of waste management infrastructure. EPA SEO 7 should include a reference to the Floods Directive and CFRAMS now FloodsDirectiveandotherCFRAMS. referencedinSEOs. EPA Positives associated with the draft RWMP Noted. Chapter 8 Assessment includes shouldbenoted referencetopositiveandnegative. EPA Recognition should be given to the need for See actions in Chapter 8 and also theprovisionofresourcestolocalauthorities assessment. to implement waste prevention campaigns andstrategies. EPA Give an example where one of the Key TablenowincludedinChapter5,Baseline Pressuresisbeingaddressedinaregion. highlighted how pressures are / will be addressed. EPA Clearly define potential costsavings where Cost savings considered in assessment in possible. termsofbenefitsoftheRWMP. EPA Consider the level of funding available when Thishasbeenaconsiderationoftheplan carryingoutwastemanagementactivities. team in developing realistic alternatives and in choosing the preferred strategy andassociatedactions. EPA Consider a tiered approach to alternatives, A tiered approach has been taken to where highlevel national requirements are alternatives,seeChapter7,Alternatives. consideredinitially. EPA Consider the problems identified from ConsideredinChapter7. previousRWMPsforgeneratingalternatives. DAFM List of additional relevant legislation, plans Thesehavebeenconsideredandincluded andpoliciestobeconsideredwasprovided. inChapter4andAppendixA. DAFM Positive and negative impacts on marine Included in Chapter 6 Baseline and environmentalquality;microbiologicalquality Chapter8Assessment. of shellfish; human health; commercially important fish and shellfish stocks;, licensed aquaculturesites;areasofimportanceforfish / shellfish and fisheries; freshwater aquaculture operations; and future designations of important areas for shellfish andaquacultureshouldbeconsidered. DAFM Major land use changes can significantly Included in Chapter 6 Baseline and impactthemarineenvironment. Chapter8Assessment. DAFM Allaspectsoftheseafoodsectorrelyonsafe high quality water and assessment of Included in Chapter 6 Baseline and potential impacts on water quality should Chapter8Assessment. includetheseafoodsector. DAFM Designated shellfish waters are very important to the shellfish sector in Ireland. The role of filterfeeding shellfish as a Included in Chapter 6 Baseline and nutrient sink thus helping to reduce Chapter8Assessment. eutrophication potential and improve water quality is also important to consider in assessments. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 39 [EasternMidlandsRegion] How this has been dealt with in the Environmental Report/new Waste ManagementPlan? Statutory IssuesRaised DAFM Details of fishery/marine data and These publications have been noted and publications provided and a list of marine relevant data collated as part of the GIS bodiessuggestedforconsultation. for the SEA. Open consultation has been undertakenonthescopingoftheSEAand theEnvironmentalReportwillalsobethe subjectofpublicconsultation. DAHG Will the RWMP address dumping at sea and This is outside the scope of the Eastern dredgingactivities? MidlandsRWMP. DAHG What is the scope of the term thermal AddressedinRWMPChapter17 treatment? Infrastructure. DAHG Will “Preparing for Reuse” include reuse of C&Dwasteandthepotentialreuseofclosed This is outside the scope of the Eastern landfills? MidlandsRWMP. DAHG Itisnotedthatifitisproposedtoincorporate “lowerlevel” implementation plans or policies from other Plans, the ecological Noted assessment would need to take account of these. DAHG Consider issues relevant to EU sites which arose during the previous RWMPs for ThishasbeenconsideredinChapter5and informing the scope and objectives of the Chapter7oftheEnvironmentalReport. EnvironmentalReport. Consider the following in relation to the planninghierarchy: DAHG EnvironmentalLiabilityDirective (2004/35/EC); Ireland’sFrameworkforSustainable Development; EuropeanCommunities(Birdsand NaturalHabitatsRegulations)2011; Consentsandlicencesunderthe WildlifeActs(asamended)for projects;and FloraProtectionOrders. ThesehavebeenconsideredinChapter4 andinAppendixAofthisreport. DAHG Take account of other habitats and species not designated or taken account of at Europeanornationallevel. Given the regional nature of the RWMP, local level issues are not addressed in detail in the assessment or baseline description however, biodiversity flora andfaunaissueshavebeenconsideredat theappropriatelevelintheassessmentin Chapter 8 and through mitigation measures. DAHG Thefollowingdatasourcesweresuggested: The AA considers issues relating to the potential impacts of the RWMP on the [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 40 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Statutory How this has been dealt with in the Environmental Report/new Waste ManagementPlan? IssuesRaised Sitespecificconservationobjectives and2013/2014habitatstatus reportsfromNPWS; Relevantobligationsarisingfrom judgementsagainstIrelandbythe EUCourtofJusticeandassociated ProgrammeofMeasures; Relevantprioritiesandactions Ireland’sPrioritisedAction Frameworkfortheimplementation oftheBirds&HabitatsDirectives; Baselinespatialrepresentationof existingwastefacilities. Natura2000network. Mapofexistingwastefacilitiesinrelation to SAC, SPA and NHA designations is includedinChapter6,Baseline. DAHG AmendSEO1toclarifyprotectedspecies includethoseprotectedatbothEUand nationallevelandconsiderIreland’sNational BiodiversityPlan“ActionsforBiodiversity 20112016”withintheSEOs DAHG As waste will likely be exported to other countriesundertheseRWMPs,consideration Transboundary consultation has been should be given to consultation with those initiatedwithNorthernIreland. countries. DAHG List of additional relevant legislation, plans Thesehavebeenconsideredandincluded andpoliciestobeconsideredwasprovided. in Chapter 4 and Appendix A and in the AA. DCENR GSI (part of DCENR) provided links to their Noted onlineresourceswithrelevantdatasets. SEO 1 amended to state: To preserve, protect and maintain the terrestrial, aquatic and soil biodiversity, particularly EU and nationally designated sites and protected species. Best Available Practices(BAPs)consideredfortargets. Include the following in the Environmental Report: NIEA Impacts on bathing and shellfish Information on bathing and shellfish waters has been included in Chapter 6, waters; BaselineandChapter8,Assessment. Review of Marine Strategy A summary of the current status of the FrameworkDirective(MSFD); MSFD has been included in Chapter 6, Baseline. Potential for environmental impact Potential for transboundary impacts has on water quality and/or biodiversity been considered in Chapters 7, forsharedIRBDandthepossibilityof Alternativesand8,Assessment. aerial deposition and spread of international site National and invasivespecies;and designations in Northern Ireland have Consider national and international beenincludedinChapter6,Baseline. sitedesignationsinNorthernIreland. NIEA Include [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] a clear statement in the Noted 41 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Statutory How this has been dealt with in the Environmental Report/new Waste ManagementPlan? IssuesRaised Environmental Report indicating whether or notimplementationoftheRWMPswillhavea significanteffectonNorthernIreland. Additionally submissions were received from individuals and groups as part of the nonstatutory publicconsultationwhichraninparalleltothescopingconsultation.Themainthemesraisedaspart ofthisconsultationaresummarisedinTable33. Table33MainIssues/SuggestionsfromNonStatutoryConsultees IssueRaised HowthishasbeendealtwithintheEnvironmentalReportand RWMP? Suggestions in relation to programmes, policies and IncludedinChapter4,OtherPlansandProgrammes. documentation that should be consideredbytheSEAandRWMPs Queries in relation to the rural waste collection system and request for baseline evidence on the household collection network and householders access to waste operators TheAppendixoftheRWMP,onHouseholdWasteoutlinesthenumber ofhouseholdsonakerbsidecollectionsystemonalocalauthoritybasis. The extent of coverage in each county varies with areas of lower populationdensityoftentendingtohavelowerratesofcollection.The localauthoritiesdonotholdadatabaseofhouseholdersonacollection service so it is not possible to present spatially the distribution of collection services. Under the new household waste regulations the issueofunmanagedhouseholdwasteistobeaddressedandthelocal authoritiesareexpectedtohaveenhancedregulatoryresponsibilitiesto addressthisissue.Thelocalauthoritieshaveincludedspecificpolicies andactionsinthisareaintheRWMP,refertoChapter19. There are some areas in Ireland which are outside of authorised collections. Every county in Ireland is serviced by collectors who are permittedtocollecthouseholdwaste.Thelackofcollectionsincertain Request for information on areas areas is due to other factors such as household density, costs and outside of authorised household practicalities. The local authorities have included specific policies and servicecollections actions in the RWMP which are designed to address the issue of unmanaged household waste and unserviced householders, refer to Chapter19. Statements that too much emphasis placed on specific types of waste infrastructuree.g.;waste to energy and thermal treatment facilities TheapproachtakeninthenewRWMPistofocusonthetreatmenttiers ofthewastehierarchy,ratherthanonspecifictypesofwastetreatment technologies. The policy actions on waste treatment infrastructure in theplanaredesignedaroundthetreatmenttiersandnottechnologies, seeChapter19oftheRWMP. Clarification sought on exported residual waste and details requested on recovery levels outside of Ireland, including the consideration of energy recovery levels Unfortunately the data management systems currently in place in Ireland do not record the exporting of residual waste on a regional basis. This data is available nationally and is managed by the National TransFrontierShipmentOfficewhichisoperatedbyDublinCityCouncil. The EPA review the data handled by the national office and include exportdataintheannualNationalWasteReport.TheEPAdoesreport on countries of destination but this may not be specific to residual waste. In the RWMP the export issue is discussed in the Emerging [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 42 [EasternMidlandsRegion] IssueRaised HowthishasbeendealtwithintheEnvironmentalReportand RWMP? Policy chapter. For residual municipal wastes national policy and legislationaimsforIrelandtobeselfsufficientandforthisstreamtobe treated in indigenous facilities. The policies and actions in the RWMP supportthisambition,asoutlinedinChapter19. Text clarifications in relation to Noted operational activities at the cementplants Suggestionsandclarificationson theenvironmentalobjectives ConsideredinChapter6,EnvironmentalProtectionObjectivesandSEA Framework Consider potential future changes in the types of waste produced The RWMP sets out many policies and actions to manage inert, non and implications of this on waste hazardous and hazardous wastes. These broad classes cover waste facilities fromhouseholds,business,industry,theconstructionandagrisectors. Clarification and questions in TheRWMPcontainsamarketanalysisofwastetreatmentinfrastructure relation to environmental impacts operating in the region providing a comprehensive summary of waste from licenced and unlicensed activities,refertoChapter16. wastefacilities Policy action C.2.2 in the RWMP commits the local authorities to Request for the RWMP to address preparingacodeofpracticetoapplyatlocalauthorityauthorisedwaste recycling and recovery of management facilities. The aim is to improve quality at the pre indigenous paper, plastics and treatmentandrecoveryfacilitiesintermsofprocessingandtheoutputs metals produced. TheRWMPcontainsamarketanalysisofwastetreatmentinfrastructure operating in the region including the treatment of soil and stone and Request for analysis of potential otherconstructionanddemolitionwaste.ThisiscoveredinChapter16 uses for construction and of the RWMP. The RWMP also supports the future development of reprocessing facilities established to handle the secondary materials demolitionwaste and specific policies have been prepared to address this, see Chapter 19. Under the proposed new household waste regulations the local authoritiesareexpectedtohaveenhancedregulatoryresponsibilitiesto Considerations that forthcoming address issues such as unmanaged waste, unserviced households, and changes to waste regulations may paybyuseetc.Theregulationshaveyettobefinalisedandaredueto alleviateidentifiedpressures bereleasedinJanuary2015.Thelocalauthoritieswillensurethattheir responsibilitiesundertheseregulationsareaddressed. Issues raised in relation to regulatory support for bio treatmentplantsifconsiderationis giventofullintroductionofthree binsystem Withintroductionoftheproposednewhouseholdwasteregulation(in addition to existing regulations on food waste), the local authorities believethattherewillbesufficientregulationinplacetodriveorganic resourcestorecoveryduringthecourseoftheRWMP,butwillmonitor progressinthisarea.Thelocalauthoritieswishforgreaterrecognition ofthewastesectorintermsofcontributingtowardsrenewableenergy targetsandmadeasubmissiononthedraftGreenPaperpolicy. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 43 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 3.3 ENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENT 3.3.1 AssessmentApproach Because SEA is, as its name suggests, set at a strategic level, it is not possible for the baseline environmenttobedescribed(andassessed)inasmuchdetailascouldbedoneforaprojectlevel environmentalimpactassessment.Instead,SEAusesasystemofobjectives,targetsandindicators torationaliseinformationforthepurposesofassessment. In order to streamline the assessment process, this report has used broad themes, based on the environmentaltopicslistedintheSEADirective,togrouplargeenvironmentaldatasets,e.g.,human health, cultural heritage and climate. Assigned to each of these themes is at least one highlevel Strategic Environmental Objective that specifies a desired direction for change, e.g. reduce CO2 emissions, against which the future impacts of the RWMP can be measured. These highlevel Strategic Environmental Objectives are then paired with specific Targets. The progress towards achievingthesespecificTargetsismonitoredusingenvironmentalIndicators,whicharemeasuresof identifiedvariablesovertime. The environmental assessment includes a combination of qualitative and quantitative assessment andexpertjudgement.Table34outlinesthetypeofassessmentthathasbeencarriedout. Table34SEAEnvironmentalAssessment EnvironmentalReceptors Biodiversity,FloraandFauna Population/HumanHealth IsitQuantifiable? Nationalandregionaldatasetsareavailableforaspectsrelating tobiodiversity,floraandfauna.GiventhescaleoftheRWMP, the assessment will be focussed on designated sites such as SPA, SAC, and NHA. Absence of location specific information thereforeassessmentisfocussedonqualitative. National datasets are available for population density and distribution and the potential impacts of the RWMP can be assessedquantitativelyrelativetotheavailableinformation. Health impacts wouldprimarily be secondary via emissions to air,water,soil,etc.Thereisnoquantitativebaselinedatathat couldbeusefullyexaminedvisàvisRWMPpolicies.However reference to emissions under the heading Air Quality, Water etc.havebeenincluded. Soil/Geology Absenceoflocationspecificinformationthereforeassessment isfocussedonqualitative. Water Nationalandregionaldatasetsareavailableforaspectsrelating to water quality, water and wastewater infrastructure. Absenceoflocationspecificinformationthereforeassessment isfocussedonqualitative. Air Relevant issues relate to odour, facility emissions (methane, dioxins etc.) and transport related emissions. Some quantitativeassessmentpossible,e.g.changesinenergyusein thecontextofincreased/improvedwastemanagement. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 44 [EasternMidlandsRegion] EnvironmentalReceptors IsitQuantifiable? ClimaticFactors Relevant issues relate to facility and transport related emissions. Quantitative assessment possible, e.g. changes in energy use in the context of increased / improved waste management. MaterialAssets Quantitative assessment may be possible, e.g. number of households with 2/3 bin waste collection, number of households with a waste collection service, % of waste exportedetc. Cultural,ArchitecturalandArchaeological Heritage National datasets are available for archaeology and architecturalheritage,howeverthenatureofthedatasetsare directedtowardslocalprojectspecificsources.Withoutspecific information on the location and character of potential infrastructural projects, there is no obvious way of assessing alternativesquantitatively. Landscape By its nature assessment of landscape and visual impacts is subjective. In addition, without specific information on the location and character of potential infrastructural projects, thereisnoobviouswayofassessingalternativesquantitatively. 3.3.2 SEAEnvironmentalReport Based on the legislation and guidance, the Environmental Report must include the information outlinedinTable35. Table35–RequirementofSEADirectiveandRelevantSectioninEnvironmentalReport RequirementofSEADirective(Article5(1),Annex1) SectionofEnvironmentalReport An outline of the contents and main objectives of the plan or Chapter2:ContentandMainObjectives programme, or modification to a plan or programme, and ofthePlan relationshipwithotherrelevantplansorprogrammes. Chapter4:EnvironmentalFramework The relevant aspects of the current state of the environment and Chapter 5: Relevant Aspects of the thelikelyevolutionthereofwithoutimplementationoftheplanor Current State of the Environment programme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme. (Baseline) Chapter 5: Relevant Aspects of the Theenvironmentalcharacteristicsofareaslikelytobesignificantly Current State of the Environment affected. (Baseline) Anyexistingenvironmentalproblemswhicharerelevanttotheplan orprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme,including, Chapter 5: Relevant Aspects of the in particular, those relating to any areas of a particular Current State of the Environment environmental importance, such as areas designated pursuant to (Baseline) theBirdsDirectiveortheHabitatsDirective. The environmental protection objectives, established at international,EuropeanUnionornationallevel,whicharerelevant totheplanorprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme, Chapter4:EnvironmentalFramework andthewaythoseobjectivesandanyenvironmentalconsiderations havebeentakenintoaccountduringitspreparation. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 45 [EasternMidlandsRegion] RequirementofSEADirective(Article5(1),Annex1) SectionofEnvironmentalReport Thelikelysignificanteffectsontheenvironment,includingonissues such as biodiversity, population, human health, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material assets, cultural heritage Chapter8:Assessment including architectural and archaeological heritage, landscape and theinterrelationshipbetweentheabovefactors. Themeasuresenvisagedtoprevent,reduceandasfullyaspossible offset any significant adverse effects on the environment of Chapter9:MitigationandMonitoring implementingtheplanorprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanor programme. An outline of the reasons for selecting thealternatives dealt with, andadescriptionofhowtheassessmentwasundertakenincluding Chapter7:Alternatives anydifficulties(suchastechnicaldeficienciesorlackofknowhow) encounteredincompilingtherequiredinformation Adescriptionofthemeasuresenvisagedconcerningmonitoringof thesignificantenvironmentaleffectsofimplementationoftheplan Chapter9:MitigationandMonitoring orprogramme,ormodificationtoaplanorprogramme A nontechnical summary of the information provided under the NonTechnicalSummary aboveheadings 3.3.3 LinksbetweentheSEAandAAProcess TheHabitatsDirective(CouncilDirective92/43/EEContheconservationofnaturalhabitatsandof wild fauna and flora) obliges member states to designate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protectandconservehabitatsandspeciesofimportanceinaEuropeanUnioncontext.Article6is oneofthemostimportantarticlesoftheHabitatsDirectiveindeterminingtherelationshipbetween conservationandsiteuse.Article6(3)requiresthat“Anyplanorprojectnotdirectlyconnectedwith or necessary to the conservation of a site but likely to have a significant effect thereon, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, shall be subject to appropriate assessmentofitsimplicationsforthesiteinviewofthesite’sconservationobjectives.” AnAppropriateAssessmentoftheRWMPhasbeencarriedoutinparallelwiththeSEAprocess,with the findings of the Appropriate Assessment used to guide the development of the alternatives to consideredaspartoftheSEA.TheassessmentundertakenaspartoftheAAprocesshasalsofed directlyintotheassessmentofbiodiversity,floraandfaunainthisSEA. Article10oftheHabitatsDirectivereferstofeaturesofthelandscapeoutsidedesignatedsiteswhich areofmajorimportanceforwildfloraandfauna.ItisnotedthattherequirementsofArticle10of theHabitatsDirectivearenotspecificallyconsideredundertheAppropriateAssessment(exceptin sofarastheysupportaqualifyingfeature)butitisnotedsuchfeatureshavebeenconsideredinthe SEAunderthebroaderheadingofBiodiversity,FloraandFauna. 3.3.4 DifficultiesEncountered Thefollowingdifficultiesanddatagapswereencountered: [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 46 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Poorboundaries/administrativeoverlapforsomedatasets; Lack of quantitative data focussed at the new administrative boundaries for the reconfiguredwasteregions; Lackofdigitiseddatainsometopicareas(e.g.landscape); Quantitative assessment is made very difficult due to the very strategic level of the measuresproposed;and Notalloftheproposedmonitoringmeasuresarecurrentlybeinggatheredandreportedon atanationallevelorattheEasternMidlandsWasteRegionlevel. 3.4 SEASTATEMENT The main purpose of the SEA Statement is to provide information on the decisionmaking process and to document how environmental considerations, i.e. the views of consultees and the recommendations of the Environmental Report, have been taken into account in the adopted EasternMidlands RWMP. The SEA Statement illustrates how decisions were taken, making the processmoretransparent. TheSEAStatementfortheEasternMidlandsRWMPwillbecompiledafterthestatutoryconsultation onthedraftEasternMidlandsRWMPandEnvironmentalReporthasbeencompleted. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 47 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 4 REVIEWOFRELEVANTPLANS,POLICIESANDPROGRAMMES 4.1 INTRODUCTION ThischapterfollowsonfromtheoverviewoftheRWMPprovidedinChapter3withtheobjectiveof settingouthowtheRWMPinteractswithotherrelevantplansandprogrammesandenvironmental protectionobjectives.Thediscussionhasfocusedonenvironmentalandwasteplans/programmes/ policyandlegislation,andtheirrelationshipandinfluenceontheRWMP. 4.2 METHODOLOGY AsdocumentedintheSEADirectivethepurposeofSEAis“toprovideforahighlevelofprotectionof the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations in the preparation and adoption of plans and programmes with a view to promoting sustainable development”. Therefore it is imperative that environmental considerations are documented and taken into account in the development of this RWMP. In order to do this the environmental protection objectives from relevant key plans, programmes, policy and legislation must be first identifiedandthenexploredinrelationtotheRWMP. The SEA Directive also states in Article 5(1) of Annex 1, that the environmental assessment must identify “the environmental protection objectives, established at International, European Union or national level, which are relevant to the plan or programme, or modification to the plan or programme, and the way those objectives and any environmental considerations have been taken intoaccountduringitspreparation”.ThereforethemainobjectivesoftheRWMPmustbeoutlined alongwiththe“relationshipwithotherrelevantplansorprogrammes”. In order to undertake these specific tasks, this chapter has taken consideration of the plan/ programme/ policy and legislative framework within which the RWMP has been developed. The RWMPisaregionaldocumentandthereforethereviewhasfocusedonrelevantNational,European and International frameworks. As part of the review process, a comprehensive list of plans and programmesrelevanttowastemanagementwasdocumentedandanidenticaltaskwasundertaken forpolicyandlegislation,whichisoutlinedinAppendixAofthisreport.Itisnotanexhaustivelist but rather is focused on those considered key to the RWMP and takes on board comments made duringtheSEAscopingstage. Sections 4.3 and Section 4.4 have explored the relationships between the RWMP and relevant environmentalprotectionobjectivesbearinginmindtwoquestions: DoestheRWMPcontributetothefulfilmentofenvironmentalprotectionobjectivessetin otherPlans/Programmes/Policy/Legislation?and; To what degree are the environmental protection objectives set in these other Plans/Programmes/Policy/LegislationimpactedbytheRWMP? [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 48 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 4.3 RELEVANTPLANSANDPROGRAMMES Part 1, Chapter 2 of the RWMP outlines the hierarchy of strategic frameworks and plans that governs planning and development. In line with this,Table 41 identifies the hierarchy of relevant plansandprogrammesandthepositionoftheEasternMidlandsRWMPwithinthehierarchy. European Table41KeyRelevantPlansandProgrammes SeventhEnvironmentalActionProgramme RoadmaptoaResourceEfficientEurope NationalSpatialStrategy(20022020) NationalLevel OurSustainableFuture:AFrameworkforSustainableDevelopmentinIreland(2012) NationalBiodiversityPlan(20112016)andNPWSConservationPlansforSACsandSPAs NationalClimateChangeStrategy(2007–2012) HeritagePlansandFrameworkandPrinciplesfortheProtectionofArchaeologicalHeritage NationalHazardousWasteManagementPlan20142020 NationalWastePreventionProgramme RegionalLevel SludgeManagementPlan(underdevelopment) RegionalPlanningGuidelines EasternMidlandsRegionalWasteManagementPlan RiverBasinManagementPlans(20092014) CatchmentFloodRiskAssessmentandManagementPlans 4.4 RELEVANTPOLICYANDLEGISLATION The RWMP interacts with environmental protection objectives established at international, EuropeanandNationallevel,theextentofwhichisoutlinedinTable42. Table42KeyRelevantPolicyandLegislation SEADirective(2001/42/EC) EIADirective(2014/52/EC) European EUHabitatsDirective(92/43/EC) ConservationofWildBirdsDirective(2009/147/ECcodified) EnvironmentalLiabilitiesDirective(2004/35/CE) WasteFrameworkDirective(2008/98/EC) WaterFrameworkDirective(2000/60/EC) FloodsDirective(2007/60/EC) [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 49 [EasternMidlandsRegion] IndustrialEmissionsDirective(2010/75/EU) EU202020Agreement EnvironmentalAssessmentofCertainPlansandProgrammesRegulationsS.I.435/2004 National BirdsandHabitatsRegulationsS.I.477/2011(asamended) Planning and Development Act (as amended) and Planning and Development Regulations S.I. 600/2001(asamended) WasteManagementAct1996 EnvironmentalLiabilityRegulationsS.I.547/2008 IndustrialEmissionsRegulationsS.I.138/2013 4.5 RELATIONSHIPOFWASTEPLANANDOTHERPLANS/PROGRAMMES/ POLICY TheRWMPsitsinahierarchyofdocumentsdealingwiththeissuesofwastemanagementinIreland. AtthetopofthehierarchyistheEuropeanWasteFrameworkDirective(2008/98/EC)whichprovides an overall structure for an effective and safe waste management regime in Europe. The RWMP directly adheres to this directive by outlining waste actions that embrace the basic concepts and definitions toencouragetheprevention,recyclingandprocessingofwaste.InadditiontheRWMP actions address the directions that the directive has provided in relation to the polluter pays principle,producerresponsibility,selfsufficiencyandproximityprinciple. The implementation of waste directives in Ireland is through the Waste Management Act 1996. SeveralstatutoryinstrumentsdealwithspecificaspectsofEUDirectives.TheEPAisresponsiblefor licensingcertainactivitiesinthewastesectorundertheProtectionoftheEnvironmentAct2003.The Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU) was transposed into Irish law by the European Union (IndustrialEmissions)Regulations2013(S.I.No.138of2013),whichintroducedamendmentstothe EPAActsandWasteManagementActsandEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(IndustrialEmissions) (Licensing)Regulations2013(S.I.No.137of2013),whichintroducethenewmechanismforlicensing activities that come under the directive. Waste facilities applying to the EPA for an Industrial EmissionsLicencearerequiredtoconsidertheprinciplesofwastepreventionspecifiedintheWaste ManagementAct. The RWMP interacts with other statutory and nonstatutory waste planning documents including highlevelstrategies.TheNationalHazardousWasteManagementPlan,astatutorydocument,has been taken into consideration during the preparation of the objectives and actions within the RWMP.TheRWMPhasindicated,inpolicyrecommendations,thatlocalauthoritiesintheregionwill maintainanddeveloptheirexistingnetworksofbringinfrastructure,tofacilitatetherecyclingand recoveryofhazardousandnonhazardousmunicipalwastes.Inaddition,itisindicatedinthepolicy recommendations that local authorities will explore the possibility of accepting hazardous waste fromsmallbusinessesatexistingcivicamenityfacilities,therebyenablingcaptureofmorehazardous waste.The RWMPalsoaddressesthetreatmentofhazardouswasteswhichcannotberecycledor recovered. The National Waste Prevention Programme, is a nonstatutory strategic plan which sets out the framework for waste prevention and resource efficiency in Ireland. This plan seeks to continue to [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 50 [EasternMidlandsRegion] workwithestablishedlinkswithinlocalauthoritiesandseekstoworkinpartnershipwiththenewly establishedwasteplanningregions. The preparation of Sludge Management Plans rests with Irish Water and a national plan for the management of wastewater sludge is being developed. The RWMP has a specific policy action to engagewithIrishWaterinrelationtonationalplanningandmanagementofwastewatertreatment plantsludgeandwatertreatmentplansludge. Additional European Framework Policy such as the Seventh Environmental Action Programme and the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe have a similar focus on encouraging a resource efficient,lowcarboneconomyandtheRWMPobjectivesandactionswillcomplywiththis. TheRWMPwillbeadministeredwhollywithinIreland,andthereforetheplanninghierarchyhasto be considered. The National Development Plan (NDP) together with the National Spatial Strategy and Regional Planning Guidelines will inform and influence the development of the RWMP. In addition the RWMP will be prepared within the framework set out in Our Sustainable Future: A FrameworkforSustainableDevelopmentinIreland(2012),theobjectivesofwhicharetoensurethat futuredevelopmentinIrelandoccursinasustainablemannerensuringaneffectivetransitiontoan innovative,lowcarbonandresourceefficientfuture. The relationship between the RWMP and environmental protection is strong through the incorporation within the RWMP of specific objectives dealing with protection. At the top of the European protection hierarchy is the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EC) which has been transposed into Irish law through the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. Article 6 of the Habitats Directive requires an Appropriate Assessment for the RWMP. This Appropriate Assessment has been undertaken and it identified that a Stage 2 Appropriate AssessmentwouldberequiredduetothepotentialforindirectimpactsarisingfromtheRWMP.The Stage2AAwasconductedandallSpecialAreasofConservation(SAC)andSpecialProtectionArea(s) (SPA)intheEasternMidlandsRWMPweretakenaccountof. TheConservationofWildBirdsDirective,whichwasfirstadoptedin1979andhasasimilaraimto theHabitatsDirectiveofacomprehensiveframeworkfortheprotection,managementandcontrol ofwildbirds.ThedirectivewastransposedintoIrishLawbytheWildBirdsRegulationsandhasbeen furtherstrengthenedbytheEUHabitatsDirective(92/43/EC)andtheEuropeanCommunities(Birds andNaturalHabitats)Regulations2011.Atanationallevel,protectionandconservationcontinues withtheNationalBiodiversityPlanandtheNationalParksandWildlifeConservationPlansforSACs andSPAs.TheNationalBiodiversityPlanisunderpinnedbyEUandnationallegislation. The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) aims at improving the aquatic environment and as such it applies to rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters. Member states are requiredtoachievegoodstatusinallwatersandmustensurethatstatusdoesnotdeteriorate.This directive requires that water quality management be centered on river basins. The RWMP will contribute to the fulfilment of these environmental protection objectives through policy actions suchastheplanforprioritisinginvestigationandremediationoflandfills. The Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) requires Member States to undertake a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment,toidentifyareasofexistingorpotentiallysignificantfuturefloodrisk,toprepareflood hazardandriskmapsandtopreparefloodriskmanagementplanssettingobjectivesformanaging thefloodriskwithinareasidentifiedforfurtherassessment.ThedirectivewastransposedintoIrish [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 51 [EasternMidlandsRegion] LawbytheEuropeanCommunities(AssessmentandManagementofFloodRisks)Regulations2010 (S.I. No. 122 of 2010). These regulations set out the responsibilities of the Office of Public Works (OPW) and other public bodies in the implementation of the directive and detail the process for implementation of the measures set out in the flood risk management plans. As such the OPW works in close partnership with all local authorities in delivering the objectives of the Flood ManagementProgramme.WhiletheRWMPdoesnotpresentlocationspecificinformationonwaste facilities, the policy actions will protect the environment and be reflective of flooding through the wastefacilitysitingcriteria(outlinedinSection16.6ofthedraftplan). The Environmental Liabilities Directive (2004/35/EC) implements the “polluter pays principle”. The aimofthedirectiveistoholdthosewhoseactivitieshavecausedenvironmentaldamagefinancially liable for remedying this damage. The directive was transposed into Irish Law in 2009 by the EuropeanCommunities(EnvironmentalLiability)Regulations2008andcomesundertheremitofthe EPA. Environmental damage under this legislation specifically relates to water damage with a significant adverse effect on water status as defined by the Water Framework Directive; land damagethatcreatesasignificantrisktohumanhealth;anddamagetoprotectedspeciesandnatural habitats. Illegal activities such as unregulated disposal of waste may fall under the remit of this legislation. In relation to climate change, at the top of the hierarchy is the EU202020 Agreement which is comprised of a range of measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, renewable energyandenergyefficiency.TheAgreementconsistsofapackageoflegallybindinglegislation,the three key objectives of which are: reduce EU GHG emissions by 20% on 1990 levels; 20% of EU energyconsumptiontobederivedfromrenewableenergysources;andtoincreaseenergyefficiency by20%.Atanationallevel,the NationalClimateChangeStrategyhasbeen outdated,andassuch the EU202020 Agreement is the legally binding legislation, which currently commits Ireland to reducing GHG emissions. The RWMP will adhere to the agreement by encouraging prevention, recyclingandprocessingofwastewithaviewtobecomingresourceefficientandcontributingtoa lowcarboneconomy. The environmental protection objectives and their relationship with the RWMP and various plans, programmes, policy and legislation have been identified and discussed. These environmental protection objectives have been integrated into the development of the SEA objectives which are outlinedinChapter6.Inaddition,AppendixAprovidesacomprehensivelistofplans,programmes, policyandlegislationcontainingenvironmentalprotectionobjectives,whichhavebeenconsidered relevanttowastemanagement. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 52 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 5 RELEVANTASPECTSOFTHECURRENTSTATEOFTHE ENVIRONMENT(BASELINE) 5.1 INTRODUCTION This section of the Environmental Report examines the relevant significant issues of the current stateoftheenvironmentinrelationtobiodiversity,fauna,flora,population,humanhealth,water, soil, geology, climatic factors, air, material assets, cultural heritage, landscape and the interrelationship between these factors. The baseline has been compiled using available datasets and indicators developed through scoping and this environmental assessment. It is noted that the EasternMidlandsRegionalWasteManagementPlan(RWMP)isregionaltonationalinitsfocusand thisismirroredinthelevelofdetailpresentedforthebaselinedescriptionwhichfollows. ThebaselinedescriptionisfocussedinthefirstinstanceontheRepublicofIreland,howevergiven thattheEasternMidlandsWasteRegionsharesalandboundarywithNorthernIrelandalongCounty Louth, there is potential for environmental impact on water quality, biodiversity etc. in Northern Ireland.Assuch(andinrecognitionofthescopingcommentsreceivedbytheNIEA)thedescription belowincludesreference,whererelevant,toconditionsinNorthernIreland.Thecharacteristicsof areas likely to be significantly affected and existing environmental problems are summarised for eachtopicheading. 5.1.1 StateoftheEnvironmentOverview–RepublicofIreland Ireland’snaturalenvironment,althoughunderincreasingpressure,generallyremainsofgoodquality and represents one of the country’s most essential national assets however pressures have increased significantly (EPA, 2008 and 2012). As Ireland’s economy grew, these pressures acceleratedataratewhichexceededthatobservedinotherEUcountries. In their 5th and most recent state of the environment review, the EPA identified four priority challenges for the environment, which, if addressed successfully, should benefit the present and future quality of Ireland’s environment. These comprise: Valuing and Protecting our Natural Environment; Building a ResourceEfficient, Low Carbon Economy; Implementing Environmental Legislation;andPuttingtheEnvironmentattheCentreofOurDecisionMaking.Thesechallengesand theirrelevancetotheEasternMidlandsRWMParesummarisedbelowinTable51 Table51–EPAKeyChallengesandRelationshiptoRWMP Challenge RelationshiptoRWMP Challenge1:ValuingandProtectingour NaturalEnvironment The RWMP has the potential to improve our natural environment by addressing issues such as backyard burning, illegal dumping and unregulated waste activities. As such the actions within the RWMP will need to recognise and complement existing EU and national objectives, policies and legislationwhichalsoseektoprotectthenaturalenvironment. Challenge2:BuildingaResource Efficient,LowCarbonEconomy The RWMP sets out the approach for the sustainable management of waste and includes objectives focussed at prevention,reuseandrecoveryinparticular,allofwhichwould [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 53 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Challenge RelationshiptoRWMP contribute to a resource efficient economy. The RWMP also promotes selfsufficiency in dealing with residual waste. Considerationwillneedtobegivenasaresulttothebenefitsof reducing exports against the detriments of building new infrastructurewithinIrelandtoaddresstheresidualwastes. Challenge3:Implementing EnvironmentalLegislation TheRWMPisundergoingbothSEAandAAinlinewithexisting EUandnationallegislation.ProjectsarisingfromtheRWMPin many cases will require planning and further environmental assessment. As noted above, the draft RWMP is undergoing both SEA and AA in line with existing EU and national legislation. This is Challenge4:PuttingtheEnvironmentat ensuring that the environmental consequences are taken into theCentreofOurDecisionMaking accountaspartoftheplan’sdevelopment.Bothprocessesare helpingtoshapetheevolutionofthedraftRWMP. 5.1.2 StateoftheEnvironmentOverview–NorthernIreland ThesecondStateoftheEnvironmentReportforNorthernIreland(2013)istitled“FromEvidenceto Opportunity”andprovidesafiveyearupdateandcommentaryonfortyfourindicatorsacrosseight themestoprovideanevidencebasedassessmentofthestateoftheenvironment.Thecurrentstate is mixed. Air quality continues to improve, water quality is benefitting from improved effluent controlsandthereareincreasesinmunicipalwasterecyclingrates.Howeverdeclinesinqualityhave beenrecordedforbiodiversityfreshwaters,landscapes,habitatsandheritage. LikeIreland,NorthernIrelandhasexperiencedtheeffectsofrecessioninrecentyearswhichhasin turnreducedsomeofthepressureontheenvironmentbutthishasbeenreplacedbynewpressures and challenges associated with trying to stimulate an economy and reliance on natural resources. The relevant aspects of the current state of the environment in Northern Ireland has been summarisedinTable52 Table52–SummaryofCurrentStateoftheEnvironmentinNorthernIreland Theme KeyFindings Air Thereare28AirQualityManagementAreasthatareleadingtheactivitytotackleairquality problems. There is continued improvement in air quality but problems do remain for nitrogen dioxide emissions due to transport. Agricultural emissions from ammonia still remainhighandthreatenecosystemsandhabitats.Continuedeffortisrequiredtoreduce airpollutionfromkeysourcessuchasroadtransportandagriculture.Theissueofairborne pollutantsarisingfromwastemanagementwasraisedspecificallyintheNIEAsubmissionon SEAscoping. Climate There is evidence that the climate in Northern Ireland is changing. There has been a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions but road transport emissions are still increasing. Therearegovernmenttargetstowardsreducinggreenhousegasemissionsofatleast35% by 2025 based on 1990 levels but this will prove challenging. A key priority for climate change will be the implementation of the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 54 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Theme KeyFindings Water The overall status of water bodies in Northern Ireland has not significantly changed from that recorded in 2009 but improvements have been identified in water utility discharges and drinking water quality. There has also been a reduction in water pollution incidents. Thekeychallengesforthewaterbodiesrelatetodiffusenutrientpollution,chemicalstatus of the water environment and measures to address physical modifications of beds, banks and shore of surface waters. Northern Ireland is broadly on track to implement the measuresfromtheRiverBasinManagementPlansdevelopedundertheWaterFramework Directive.Waterpollution(groundwaterandsurfacewater)areaconcernraisedbyNIEAin theirSEAscopingsubmission.Waterinparticularprovidesaclearpathwayforpollutants betweenthetwojurisdictions. Marine Therehasbeenanimprovementtotheoverallqualityofthemarineenvironment,including bathingwaterqualityandbeaches,aroundNorthernIreland’sshores.Thiscanbedirectly linkedtoimprovementsinwastewatertreatment.Onekeyremainingissueismarinelitter. ThenextchallengewillbetheimplementationoftheMarineStrategyFrameworkDirective. Marine litter and its impact on bathing waters and the aquaculture industry were both raisedintheNIEASEAscopingsubmission. Landand Landscape Thereisamarkedchangeinthelandscapewiththedevelopmentofuplandwindfarmsand the significant decline in housing development has reduced pressure on land use. Investmentisproposedintheagrifoodsectorbutthiswillrequireinnovativeapproaches todevelopmentwithinthecountryside. Despite continued action many key elements of biodiversity continues to decline. In particular since 2000 grassland habitats have shown the most decline, but in contrast Biodiversity woodlandhabitatshaveincreased.Thekeypressuresidentifiedrelatetolandusechanges throughagricultureanddevelopmentwithadditionalpressuressuchaspollution,invasive speciesandfisheriespractices. Built Heritage The key risks identified to archaeological resources come from agricultural land use and urbanactivities.Ithasbeenidentifiedthatprotectedsiteshavefaredbetter.Throughthe SecondSurveyofBuildingsofarchitecturalorhistoricinteresttherehasbeenanincreasein the number of listed buildings. Built heritage has provided emerging opportunities in relationtoregeneration,tourismandeconomicdevelopment. Wasteand Resources Recycling has seen a significant increase with a fourfold rise since 2002. With the publicationoftheNorthernIrelandWasteManagementStrategythereisafocustowards greater wasteprevention and a reductioninconsumption.Thesingleusecarrierbaglevy hasgivenrisetoareducedconsumptionrateofmorethan80%initsfirstyearofoperation. ThefocusonpreventioninNorthernIrelandismirroredintheapproachedproposedforthe EasternMidlandsRWMP. 5.2 ENVIRONMENTALCHARACTERISTICSANDPROBLEMSINTHEEASTERN MIDLANDSREGION Thefollowingbaselineinformationisprefacedforeachenvironmentaldisciplinebyclarificationon thenatureandextentofeffectsconsideredforthatdisciplineinrelationtotheRWMP.Thebaseline informationisthensummarisedinrelationtotheidentifiedscope. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 55 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 5.2.1 Biodiversity,FloraandFauna IrelandhasobligationsunderEUlawtoprotectandconservebiodiversity.Thisrelatestohabitats and species both within and outside designated sites. Nationally, Ireland has developed a Biodiversity plan (20112016) to address issues and halt the loss of biodiversity, in line with internationalcommitments.AsnotedinChapter4,theEasternMidlandsRWMPmusthaveregard tothesecommitmentsandlegalobligations.Thekeyissuesassociatedwithwastemanagementand biodiversityrelateto: The potential for habitat loss and fragmentation resulting primarily from new waste managementinfrastructure; Pollutionofair,soilandwaterasaresultofhistoricunregulatedwastedisposalsites,illegal landfills, closed landfills, inappropriate abandonment of endoflife vehicles (ELVs) and backyardburning;and Habitat and species disturbance associated with waste infrastructure, transport of waste, remediationoflandfillsites,illegaldisposaletc. GiventhestrategicnatureoftheRWMP,focusofthebaselineforbiodiversityisatregionalleveland above, specifically internationally designated and national designated sites. In addition, considerationhasbeengiventokeyprotectedhabitatsandspeciesincludingthosewithsensitivity towastemanagementactivities,includingsurfaceandgroundwaterdependanthabitatsandspecies, withparticularreferencetothosewhichhavebeenofnationalconservationfocuse.g.Freshwater PearlMussel.Itisalsorecognisedthatthereareothernondesignatedreceptors,suchaslandscape features which function as a ‘stepping stone’ or which act as ecological corridors, which are of importancetowildlife. 5.2.1.1 DesignatedSites Irelandhasdesignatedsitesandspeciesofconservationvalueand/orconcerninanefforttoprotect its biodiversity resource. There are five types of designations considered for the purposes of the RWMP: Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA), Ramsar Sites, Natural HeritageAreas(NHA)andNationalNatureReserves.Thereareover2000ofthesesitesnationally with420containedwithintheEasternMidlandsRegion.Thisincludessuchwellknownsitesasthe WicklowMountainsNationalPark,NorthandSouthDublinBay,theBoyneValley,theSlieveBloom Mountains,ClaraBogandLoughOwel. InNorthernIrelandthereare57SACs,17SPAsand375AreasofSpecialScientificInterest(ASSIs). TheASSIsareareasoflandwithnationalconservationvalue.Somedesignations,suchasCarlingford LoughSPAandCarlingfordShoreSACextendintoNorthernIrelandandassuchpresentpotentialfor transboundaryeffects. The number of each type of designation in the EasternMidlands Region is presented in Table 53 andtheirlocationsarepresentedonFigure51andFigure52. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 56 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Table53–NumberandTypesofDesignatedSiteswithintheEasternMidlandsRegion DesignationType Description Number* Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) are designated under the EU Special Area of Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Special Protection Areas are 79 Conservation** designated under the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC). Together these sitesformthebackboneoftheNatura2000network.Furtherdetails on these sitescan befound in theAppropriate Assessment for the Special RWMP. The figures provided include both 40 EasternMidlands ProtectionAreas proposedandcandidatesites. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty that provides for national action and international cooperation for the 16 conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources with a particularfocusonbirds. Ramsar NaturalHeritageAreas(NHAs)areprotectedundertheWildlifeAct 1976 (as amended). NHAs are areas considered important for the Natural Heritage habitats present or which hold species of plants and/or animals 269 Area** whosehabitatneedsprotection.FiguresprovidedincludebothNHA andproposedNHAs. A National Nature Reserve is an area of importance to wildlife, whichisprotectedunderMinisterialorder.Mostareownedbythe National Nature Statebut some are owned by organisations or private landowners. 16 Reserve The NPWS does not provide spatial datasets to represent National NatureReserves. *NumberstakenfromtheNPWSwebsite(www.npws.ie)July2014;**IncludescandidateSACsandproposedNHAs 5.2.1.2 ProtectedHabitatsandSpecies In 2008 and again in 2013 the National Parks and Wildlife Service published a report detailing the conservation status in Ireland of habitats and species listed in the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC)4.Thereare59habitatsinIrelandthatarelistedunderAnnexIoftheHabitatsDirective. Sixteen of these habitats are considered priority habitats, which are those that the EU considers requireparticularprotection.Thereare26specieslistedinAnnexIIoftheHabitatsDirective.These are animal or plant species whose conservation requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation.Thereareafurther41speciesofanimalsandplantslistedinAnnexIVoftheHabitats Directive,whichrequirestrictprotection;andfinallythereare48AnnexVspecies,whosetakingin thewildmaybesubjecttomanagementmeasures.TheNPWSConservationStatusreportindicated that many Irish species of flora and fauna have a moderately satisfactory conservation status; however,asmallnumberareinurgentneedofconcertedeffortstoprotectthem.FloraProtection Ordersprotectcertainplantspeciesandprohibittheiruprootingordamagetotheirhabitats.These orders apply wherever the plants are found and are not confined to areas designated for nature conservation. Two groups which have received recent attention as a result of EU intervention are Shellfish and Freshwater Pearl Mussel (FPM). Both have the potential to be impacted by waste managementactivitiesasaresultofemissionstowatere.g.leachateandreleaseofmaterialduring construction and or remediation, litter etc. Ireland’s raised bogs have also been the subject of recentEUjudgements.Bogareasareoftenthefocusofillegaldumpinggiventheirmoreisolated nature. Further details on these species / habitats within the EasternMidlands Region are presentedinthefollowingsections. 4 TheStatusofEUProtectedHabitatsandSpeciesinIreland,NPWS2008(vol13)and2013(Vol23) [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 57 [EasternMidlandsRegion] 5.2.1.3 ShellfishGrowingAreas The following shellfish growing areas are found adjacent to the EasternMidlands Region as delineatedbythebytheSeaFisheriesProtectionAuthority: CarlingfordLough; Malahide; DundalkBay;and Balbriggan/Skerries. Emissions from waste management activities (licensed and unlicensed) to water e.g. leachate, suspended solids, release of material during construction and / or remediation etc. have the potentialtoimpactonestuarinewaterqualityandinturnShellfishGrowingAreas. 5.2.1.4 FreshwaterPearlMusselWaters There has been a considerable decline in species distribution and numbers of FPM in Ireland and across the EU. In response to the Irish decline, NPWS have developed 27 FPM Subbasin ManagementPlanstoaddressmeasurestohaltthedeclineinthespecies.ThefollowingFPMsub basincatchmentsarefoundintheEasternMidlandsRegionasdesignatedunderS.I.291of2009: Slaney–Derreen;and NoreUpper Emissions from waste management activities (licensed and unlicensed) to water e.g. leachate, suspendedsolids,releaseofmaterialduringconstructionandorremediationetc.havethepotential toimpactonwaterqualityandinturnFreshwaterPearlMussels. 5.2.1.5 SalmonidRivers Salmonid waters must be able to sustain Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), trout (Salmo trutta), char (Salvelinus) and whitefish (Coregonus). They have been designated under the EU Freshwater Fish Directive (78/659/EEC) which was transposed into Irish law in 1988 through the European Communities Regulation on Quality of Salmonid Waters (S.I. No. 293/1988). In order to sustain thesespecies,riversmusthavegoodwaterquality,allowupstreammovementandprovidesuitable habitat for spawning. Emissions from waste management activities (licensed and unlicensed) to watere.g.leachate,suspendedsolidsetc.havethepotentialtoimpactonwaterqualityandinturn salmonids.Thereare136designatedSalmonidRiverBodieswithintheEasternMidlandsRegion. 5.2.1.6 Bogs The Irish climate is conducive to the widespread development of bogs of different types ranging fromtheblanketbogsinthewesttotheraisedbogsinthemidlands.Thebiodiversitysupportedby the different bog types varies considerably and in many cases make them unique within Europe. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 58 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Activebogsplayanimportantroleincombatingclimatechangebyremovingexcesscarbondioxide fromtheairandplacingitintolongtermstorageforthousandsofyears.Otherecosystemservices include reduced flooding. Illegal dumping of waste material is often associated with remote and wildareassuchasbogswhichcanleadtodeteriorationofthesehabitatsandtheuniquefloraand fauna they support. Table 54 outlines the designated SAC raised bogs that occur in the Eastern MidlandsRegion. Table54–SACRaisedBogswithintheEasternMidlandsRegion AllSaintsBogAndEsker ClooneenBog MonganBog KnockacollerBog ArdagullionBog CoolrainBog MoudsBog Clareisland/MoneybegBog MountHeveyBog KillyconnyBog(Cloghbally) Ballykenny Forbes) (Lough CrosswoodBog BallynafaghBog FerbaneBog MoyclareBog ClaraBog BrownBog Fisherstown(Lough Forbes) RaheenmoreBog SharavogueBog CarnParkBog GarriskilBog InadditiontotheSACraisedbogsoutlinedinTable54,therearefiveotherSACbogsalsodesigned in the EasternMidlands Region. These include Carriggower Bog, Clonaslee Eskers/ Derry Bog, LisbigneyBog,RedBogandScraghBog.Therearealsoanumberofbogsintheregion,22intotal, whicharedesignatedasNHAs. 5.2.1.7 InvasiveAlienSpecies Afurtherconsiderationaspartofwastemanagementplanningrelatestothepotentialforspreadof invasivespecies.Invasivealienspecies(IAS)arespeciesthataretransportedoutsideoftheirnatural range across and ecological barriers as a result of human action. They can establish and spread in their new location and cause negative impacts on biodiversity, society and the economy. A 2010 reportbytheInstituteforEuropeanEnvironmentalPolicyreportedthatIASareestimatedtohave costtheEUatleast€12billionperyearoverthepast20years,andthedamagecostscontinueto increase.ImpactsassociatedwithIASinIrelandincludecompetitionwithnativespecies,alteration to habitats, introduction of pathogens and parasites and economic loss. If an invasive species e.g. Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed, becomes established it can be difficult, or in some cases nearly impossible, to eradicate. Construction and demolition waste, construction of new waste managementfacilitiesandremediationofofhistoricunregulatedwastedisposalsites,illegallandfills andclosedlandfillsallhavethepotentialtospreadinvasivespecies. 5.2.1.8 ExistingEnvironmentalPressures/Problems:Biodiversity,FloraandFauna Ireland supports a wide variety of species and habitats, many of which are of international importance,however,significantaspectsofbiodiversityinIrelandareunderthreatfromarange ofunsustainablewasteactivities.Existingpressuresinclude: Habitatloss,habitatfragmentationanddisturbanceofprotectedhabitatsandspeciesasa result of construction of the waste facilities historically; and of unauthorised disposal [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 59 [EasternMidlandsRegion] sitesparticularlyinmoreremoteareas; Deterioration in water quality as a result of leachate arising from waste activities (authorised / unauthorised) adjacent to or upstream of sensitive sites, particularly designatedsites; Control of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, particularly but not exclusively in coastalsitesandriverfloodplains; Abandonmentorinappropriateuseofendoflifevehicles(ELV)withinorinthevicinityof sensitivesites,particularlydesignatedsites;and Changestoairqualityasaresultofaerialemissionsfromwasteactivities. Existing pressure on biodiversity also comes from existing waste facilities. There are 91 EPA licencedwastefacilitieswithintheregion,someofwhichlieinproximitytoSACs,SPAs,NHAsand pNHAs.Therearenolicencedwastefacilitiessituatedwithinanydesignatedsitesintheregion, however there are 8 EPA licenced waste facilities within 500m of SACs, 4 EPA licenced waste facilitieswithin500mofSPAs,1EPAlicencedwastefacilitywithin500mofanNHAand20EPA licencedwastefacilitieswithin500mofpNHAs. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 60 Figure 5.1 Natura 2000 Sites in the Eastern-Midlands Region Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA Special Area of Conservation Special Protection Area County / Administrative Area Boundary Waste Management Region Legend File Ref: MDR0998Arc1005F01 ¯ Figure 5.2 Natural Heritage Areas and Ramsar Sites in the Eastern-Midlands Region Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA Ramsar Proposed Natural Heritage Area Natural Heritage Area County / Administrative Area Boundary Waste Management Region Legend File Ref: MDR0998Arc1008F01 ¯ [EasternMidlandsRegion] 5.2.2 PopulationandHumanHealth It has been identified by the EC Guidance Note ‘Preparing a Waste Management Plan’5 that a number of parameters influence waste generation, one of which is population growth. People are wasteproducersandthereforehistoricallytheamountofwasteproducedhasincreasedinlinewith humanactivitiesandpopulationgrowth.Inrecentyearshoweverthistrendhasalteredandeven thoughthepopulationinthestatehascontinuedtogrow,thelatesthouseholdwastedatashowsa “substantialdropinmunicipalwastegenerationbetween2007and2011”(EPA,2011)),andin2012 municipalwastegenerationwas4.6%lowerthanin2011(NationalWasteReport2012[EPA]).Thisis thought to be reflective of a number of factors such as behavioural changes by householders, changingattitudestowardswastemanagementandageneraldecreaseinconsumption.Itisthought that economics is a strong driver for household waste growth rather than solely population dynamics.Thekeyissuesassociatedwithwastemanagementandpopulationrelateto: Population distribution and particularly the differences in the rural versus urban model of wastecollectionservices; Quantitiesofwastegeneratedwithintheregion;and Populationgrowthforecastsandsocioeconomicoutlookintheregion. GiventhestrategicnatureofthedraftRWMP,thefocusofthebaselineforpopulationandhuman healthisattheregionallevel. 5.2.2.1 PopulationDistribution The EasternMidlands Region incorporates all or part of twelve city and county council administrative areas as follows: Dublin City, Dún LaoghaireRathdown, Fingal, Kildare, Laois, Longford,Louth,Meath,Offaly,SouthDublin,WicklowandWestmeath.Thetotalpopulationofthe EasternMidlands Region in the most recent 2011 census was just over 2.2 million, an increase of 183,960 or 9.1% since the previous census in 2006. This represents 48% of Ireland’s population. Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) account for 81% of the region’s population. Table 55 showsthepopulationin2006andagainin2011(includingpercentagedifference)foreachofthe12 city and county areas within the EasternMidlands Region. Laois has experienced the greatest percentagepopulationincreasebetween2006and2011(20.1%)whilstDublinCityhasexperienced thelowestpopulationincrease(4.2%). Table55–TrendsinPopulationforCountieswithintheEasternMidlandsRegion LocalAuthority 2006 2011 %Increase DublinCity 506,211 527,612 4.2% DunLaoghaireRathdown 194,038 206,261 6.3% Fingal 239,992 273,991 14.2% SouthDublin 246,935 265,205 7.4% Kildare 186,335 210,312 12.9% 5 PreparingaWasteManagementPlan.Amethodologicalguidancenote.EC,2012 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 63 [EasternMidlandsRegion] LocalAuthority 2006 2011 %Increase Laois 67,095 80,559 20.1% Longford 34,391 39,000 13.4% Louth 111,267 122,897 10.5% Meath 162,831 184,135 13.1% Offaly 70,868 76,687 8.2% Westmeath 79,346 86,164 8.6% Wicklow 126,194 136,640 8.3% TotalPopulation EasternMidlands Region 2,025,503 2,209,463 9.1% TotalNational Population 4,239,848 4,588,252 8.2% The distribution of people and their activities within the region varies from rural agricultural communitiestothecityofDublinanditscommuterbelts.Thepopulationdensityishighcompared totherestofIrelandandtheregionhasseenapopulationgrowthofover10%inthepasttenyears. Dublin City and suburbs, which encompasses a large area around the M50 including areas such as Howth, Shankill, Stepaside, Tallaght and Lucan, occupies the largest urban land area in Ireland at 318km2andholds39%ofthetotalurbanpopulation.Figure53showsthepopulationdensityinthe EasternMidlandsRegionandthecityandmajortownsintheregion. AsoutlinedinthedraftRWMP,withinthelastfiveyearsthepopulationinDublinhasincreasedby 4%,whilstDublincommutertownshaveexpandedatratesashighas51%.Thegreatestpopulation increaseshavebeeninvillageswithapopulationofbetween50and1,500peopleinDublin,Meath, KildareandWicklow.Themostrecentcensusfiguresshowthaturban/ruralpopulationsplitis81% / 19%. The rural element of the population appears relatively small but in actuality equates to approximately 420,146 people. Counties Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath have more rural thanurbanpopulationnumbers.Table56summarisestheurban/ruralpopulationdistributionfor eachlocalauthorityarea. Table56–Urban/RuralPopulationDistributionintheEasternMidlandsRegion LocalAuthority Urban2011 Rural2011 DublinCity 527,612 0 DunLaoghaireRathdown 204,354 1,907 Fingal 255,833 18,158 SouthDublin 259,729 5,476 Kildare 142,171 68,141 Laois 38,181 42,378 Longford 12,908 26,092 Louth 79,117 43,780 [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 64 [EasternMidlandsRegion] Meath 105,018 79,117 Offaly 33,626 43,061 Westmeath 41,823 44,341 Wicklow 88,945 47,695 Total 1,789,317 420,146 Thedistributionofpopulationbetweenurbanpopulationcentres,ruralvillages,communityclusters andoneoffhousinginIrelandisakeyissueforcollectionactivitiesinthewastesector.Typically, urbanareashavehigherpopulationdensitiesthanruralareasandarebettersuitedtoandserviced by kerbside collection systems. This is reflected in the high rates of collection coverage in these areas. Generally kerbside collections are dominant in urban areas with the largest volume of household waste collected through these systems. However it is not a given that coverage is at 100%ashouseholderscan,undercurrentlegislation,optoutofaserviceevenwhereseveralwaste providersareoperatinginthemarketandofferingaservice. Rural areas typically rely on a combination of collection systems including kerbside, local civic amenitycentres,bringbanks,directdisposaltolandfills(althoughthisoptionisdeclining)andother methods such as pay to use (PTU) containers which are accessible and located mainly at petrol stationforecourts.Thefragmentednaturemakesitdifficulttoidentifythosehouseholderswhoare responsiblymanagingtheirwastesandthosewhoarenot.Anoutcomeofthisregulatoryapproach is a higherrisk for potential illegal dumping, backyard burning or other unsustainable methods of disposalwithknockonnegativeimpactsfortheenvironment. Oneoffhousingisthefocusofthisissueandithassteadilyincreasedinthelastdecade.The2011 census identified that from a total of 1,994,845 housing units in Ireland 433,564 (26.3%) were classified as oneoff houses. The CSO’s classification of a oneoff house is an occupied detached dwellingwithanindividualseweragesysteminaruralarea.Sincethe2006censusnationallythere hasbeena12.7%growthinhousingstockandthepercentageofoneoffhousinghasincreased.Of the identified oneoff houses within Ireland, 96% were outside of the 848 towns and settlements identifiedinthe2011census.Theshareofoneoffhousingbuiltsince2006andoutlinedinFigure 54 identifies that in the EasternMidlands Region, the counties of Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Laois, MeathandLouthhavealessthana30%shareofthistypeofhousing.Theremainingcountiesin thisregionincludeLongfordandWestmeathwith3035%andOffalywith3540%. 5.2.2.2 QuantitiesofWasteProduced Figure5.5andTable57displaytheamountofmanagedhouseholdwasteintheEasternMidlands Region. This data is taken from the EPA’s 2012 National Waste Report and outlines the wastes recorded and reported from sources such as kerbside collection, civic amenity facilities and bring banks.ThefigureclearlydemonstratesthatthehighpopulationregionssuchastheGreaterDublin Area (GDA) fall within the highest category of tonnes of household managed waste per local authority. The EPA2012StateoftheEnvironment Reportnotesthatof theservicedhouseholdsinthestate, 98%haveatleastatwobinsystemand37%(nationally)haveaccesstoathreebinsystem.Waste collection services in the EasternMidlands Region have between 43% and 97% coverage with the [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 65 [EasternMidlandsRegion] highest noted for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the lowest noted for Offaly. The National Waste Report 2012 estimates that nationally there was over 214,200t of unmanaged householdwastein2012. Thebarrierstofullcoverageincludebutarenotlimitedto:lackofcompetitioninwastecollection servicesinsomeareas;optoutofexistingwastecollectionservicesbyhouseholds;andpoorrollout ofthe3binsystem. Table57–QuantitiesofWasteProducedperHouseholdandExtentofCoverage LocalAuthority Amount of Managed Extent of Waste %witha3BinSystem HouseholdWaste(t) CollectionCoverage DublinCity 151,257 78% 53% DunLaoghaireRathdown 67,512 97% 43% Fingal 99,629 100% 84% SouthDublin 88,917 89% 64% Kildare 69,715 85% 46% Laois 23,045 58% 31% Longford 10,390 77% 34% Louth 45,327 85% 24% Meath 57,534 76% 2% Offaly 18,009 50% 23% Westmeath 26,281 43% 8% Wicklow 36,824 54% 3% Source:EPA,2014 5.2.2.3 PopulationandEconomicForecasts Asnotedpreviously,thepopulationdensityintheEasternMidlandsRegionishighcomparedtothe restofIreland,withtheregionseeingapopulationgrowthofover10%inthepasttenyears.Within thelastfiveyearsthepopulationinDublinhasincreasedby4%,whilstDublincommutertownshave expandedatratesashighas51%. The total national population in the 2011 census was 4.57 million. The CSO states in their report Population and Labour Force Projections 20162046 (CSO, 2013), that the total population is predictedtogrowtobetween4.7and5.3millionovertheperiod20162026.TheCSOpredictsthe averageannualpopulationgrowthrateduringthisperiod(takingaccountoffertilityandmigration) tobebetween0.4and1%,comparedtothe1.6%growthrateobservedduringthelastintercensal period(20062011). In their Environment Review Report published in June 2012, the ESRI summarises that municipal solidwaste(MSW)generationisprojectedtoincreasebyroughly0.9milliontonnesoverthenext20 years,withmorethanhalfofthattocomefromtheservicessectors.Animportantdriverforthis growth in MSW generation is the assumption that the population will increase to 5 million within approximately15years.TheEPAhavehaspredictedasimilaroutcome,forecastingintheNational [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 66 [EasternMidlandsRegion] WasteReport2011thatmunicipalwastegenerationwillgrowby830,000tonneswithinthenext15 years. The expectation from the ESRI is that a growing population and expanding recovering economywillpotentiallyleadtoincreasingpressureontheenvironmentthroughwastegeneration. It is expected that municipal (i.e. combined household and commercial) waste arisings in the EasternMidlands Region over the 20112021 period will rise in the 1128% range. The higher of these rates of increase especially presents a challenge to the region to ensure that adequate collectionandtreatmentcapacityisdevelopedtoallowforthisforecast.Furthermore,thedriveto progressively treat more of this material in Ireland means that treatment capacity provision will needtoincreaseatratesevenabovethoseshown,makingthetargetsmorechallenging. 5.2.2.4 HumanHealth The Institute of Public Health in Ireland produced a briefing note in 2005 on health impact assessmentsinwastemanagementinwhichtheynotedthatwastemanagementandpublichealth areinextricablylinkedandassuchthereisinherentsenseinassessingthepotentialimpactonhealth of any proposed method of managing waste. However, the document also went on to note limitations for such assessments including the length of time it may take for effects to show in a population, the role of other confounding factors in illhealth; and the need to consider social, psychologicalaswellasphysicaleffects.Thesefactorstogetherwiththelackofhumanhealthdata atnationalorregionallevelinrelationtowastemanagementinIrelandcontinuetomakeitdifficult toassessdirectimpactsonhumanhealth.Bearingtheseinmind,theimplicationsforhumanhealth areoftenreviewedinthecontextofindirectimpactswhichmayoccurasaresultofpathwaysfor pollutants,principallythroughair,waterandsoils. It is noted that regulated facilities require licenses and permits, which contain emission limits to thesemedia.TheseemissionlimitsarebasedonthemostcurrentEU/WHOguidelinesandlimits whichhavebeendevelopedtoprotecthumanhealthhoweveritisrecognisedthatexceedancesdo occurasevidencedfromEPAAnnualEnvironmentalReporting. Inthecaseofhistoricunregulatedwastedisposalsitesandofunregulatedactivitiessuchasbackyard burning/illegaldumpingtherisktohumanhealthrelatestothenatureandquantitiesofthewaste disposedanditsproximitytosensitivereceptorse.g.awatersupply,residentialdevelopmentsetc. TheEPAhasdevelopedaCodeofPracticeforunregulatedwastesitesincludingamethodtoscore theriskandprioritiseremediationwhereappropriate.Emissionsassociatedwithbackyardburning includeparticulates(PM2.5andPM10)anddioxinsetc.Butunlikeamodernthermaltreatmentfacility, theseemissionscannotbecapturedinanywayandarenotmonitored. Cleanairisimportanttoapopulation’sgeneralhealth.Irelandhasingeneralgoodairqualityandas suchthepopulationreceivesahealthbenefitfromhavingaccesstocleanfreshair.Apotentialrisk to human health is from waste generated emissions. The emissions to air arising from waste managementcanincludethosefromlandfill,thermaltreatment,composting,anaerobicdigestionor illegalburningandalsoexhaustemissionsfromthetransportationofwasteassociatedwithheavy goods vehicles. The types of emissions with key potential for impact on air quality and climate include: landfill gas (methane and carbon dioxide), particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, vaporous organic substances, dioxins, furans and odours. While not causingadirectimpacttohealth,malodoursassociatedwithwasteandsometypesoffacilities(e.g. wastetreatment)canreducequalityoflifeandtheenjoymentofone’ssurroundingsifodoursare [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 67 [EasternMidlandsRegion] particularly strong or persistent. See Section 5.2.5 for more information detailing the types of wasterelatedactivitieswhichcanaffectairquality. Theemissionstowaterarisingfromwastemanagementcanincludeleachateandsuspendedsolids from regulated and unregulated disposal sites, cooling waters from treatment facilities, litter and exhaustemissionsfromthetransportationofwasteassociatedwithheavygoodsvehiclesetc.These types of pollution can impact on the ecological status of water bodies and can result in negative impactsoninvertebrates,plantlifeandonallstagesoffishandshellfishlifecycles.Thisinturncan impact negatively on human health where commercial fisheries and fish stocks become contaminated by harmful chemicals or microorganisms as a result of waste runoff or poorly managed discharge. Leachate and runoff from disposal sites in particular can also impact on drinkingwatersources(bothsurfaceandgroundwater)possiblyleadingtointerruption/lossofthe supplyandcostsassociatedwithremediatingnotonlythesitebutthewatersupplyalso.Dumping atseaandlitterwhichfindsitswaytothecoast/oceanareotheravenuesofmarinepollutionfrom waste.Whilethereisnospecificdatasetwhichquantifieslittering,wastepreventioncampaignsand otherinitiativessuchastheplasticbaglevycanreducelitterlevels.SeeSection5.2.4formoredetail on the current status of water quality in the EasternMidlands Region and the primary activities relatedtowastepollutionofwater. Irelandreliesheavilyongoodqualitysoilsfortheagriculturalsector.Contaminationofthisresource hassignificanteconomicandsocialimpactsasitrelatesdirectlytothefoodchain.Plantsgrowing nearcontaminatedsoilsmayleachharmfulchemicalsleadingtocontaminationoftheplantmaterial andlivestockwhicheatthismaterialordrinkwaterfromcontaminatedwatersuppliesinthevicinity. Significantresourcesareexpendedonidentifyingillegaldumpsitesandhistoricunregulatedlandfills andtheirremediationintheregion.SeeSection5.2.3formoredetailonthecurrentstatusofsoils intheEasternMidlandsRegion. 5.2.2.5 ExistingEnvironmentalPressures/Problems:PopulationandHumanHealth There have been changes in the waste collection sector with the majority of local authorities exiting the domestic waste collection market and private operators taking over. This has led to multipleoperators,particularlyinurbanareas,competingforwastecollectionservices,although theextentofcompetition(i.e.numberofserviceproviders)variesandisnotalwayscomparable (i.e.someoperatorsoffera2binservice,othersa3bin).By contrast,manyruralareasdonot havecompetitionforservices. Thedispersednatureofruralhousing,oneoffhousingandhistoricwastemanagementpractices in rural areas is contributing to lower collection rates for waste in rural areas. In 2012 approximately 214,200 tonnes of municipal waste was reported as uncollected/unmanaged whichequatestoapproximately16%ofoccupiedhouseswithinIreland.Itisnotclearhowthis unmanaged waste is being disposed of (EPA, 2012). The percentage of unmanaged household wasteintheEasternMidlandsRegionisrelativelylow(11%),althoughtheproblemhasnotbeen eliminated. Unmanaged household waste contributes to backyard burning and illegal dumping. Theenvironmentalimpactsassociatedwiththeseactivitiesincludedeteriorationinair,waterand soilsqualitywithindirectimpactsonhumanhealth. The growth inpopulation,incomesandeconomicactivity,especiallyoverthe pastdecade, and the general trend towards increased urbanisation and suburbanisationhas impacted on the environment in a variety of ways. Significant growth in population has occurred in urban and rural areas and this growth has resulted in individual houses in the countryside and housing [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 68 [EasternMidlandsRegion] clusters in small villages throughout much of the country. As the population of Ireland grows, increasedpressureforhousingposesachallengetoensurethatfuturedevelopmenttakesplace in a way which avoids urban sprawl. This urban sprawl places increased pressure on waste collectionsystems.Residentialdistributionpatternshavealreadyledtochallengesinachieving full coverage for all waste streams. In general there are better kerbside collection systems availableinthemainpopulationcentresintheregion. [MDR0998Rp0011_F01] 69 Figure 5.3 Birr Athlone ( ! ( ! ( ! Longford Population Density in the Eastern-Midlands Region Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA Source: Census 2011 4001 - 5000 5001 - 18859 3001 - 4000 1001 - 2000 2001 - 3000 301 - 500 501 - 1000 11 - 30 31 - 100 101 - 300 1 - 10 Population Density (People/sq.km) ( ! Waste Management Region County / Administrative Area Boundary City / Town Legend ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! Kells ( ! ( ! Trim Kildare ( ! Athy Portarlington Portlaoise ( ! Mullingar Tullamore ( ! Granard Naas Ardee Baltinglass ( ! Navan ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! Wicklow Bray Arklow ( ! Balbriggan Dublin ( ! Drogheda Dundalk File Ref: MDR0998Arc1011F01 ¯ ¯ Legend Waste Management Region < 30% 30 - 35% 35 - 40% 40 - 45% > 45% ConnachtUlster Region EasternMidlands Region Southern Region 0 50 100 Kilometers Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA Figure 5.4 One-off Housing in the Eastern-Midlands Region with National Context File Ref: MDR0998Arc1014F01(a) 75% 2% 23% Offaly Figure 5.5 58% Waste Services - Eastern-Midlands Region Southern Region 64% 5% 31% 50% 17,335t 88% 4% 8% 43% 22,647t 22,652t Laois Wes tm eath 77% 9,591t 60% 6% 34% Longford Connacht-Ulster Region Note: Percentages at 1% cannot be resolved visually on the pie charts. Regional Waste Plans, SEA and AA ¯ 85% 68,404t 52% 2% 46% Kildare 76% 52,403t Meath 16% 1% 84% Fingal 81,604t 89% 54% Wicklow 91% 7% 3% 51% 6% 43% 97% 66,453t 78% 142,889t 100% 95,849t Dún Laoghaire Rathdown 36,506t 34% 2% 64% 45% 1% 2% 53% Dublin City South Dublin 89% 9% 2% 85% 45,723t 67% 9% 1% 24% Louth File Ref: MDR0998Arc1015F01 4 Bin Service 3 Bin Service 2 Bin Service 1 Bin Service Bin Provision (%, 2012) Waste Service to Occupied Households (%, 2012) Household Managed Waste Per Authority (tonnes, 2012) County / Administrative Area Boundary Waste Management Region Legend
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