1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Waste Management Act, 1996.

(2) This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as, by order or orders made by the Minister under this section, may be fixed therefor either generally or with reference to a particular purpose or provision and different days may be so fixed for different purposes and different provisions:

Provided that if immediately before the expiration of the period of 2 years from the date of passing of this Act, this Act has not been commenced by an order under this section or any provision or provisions thereof remains or remain to be commenced by such an order (including as respects a particular purpose), this Act or the said provision or provisions shall come into operation (or, in the case of such provision or provisions that remains or remain to be commenced for a particular purpose, shall come into operation for that purpose) upon the expiration of the said period.

2.—The purposes for which the provisions of this Act are enacted include the purpose of giving effect to the Community acts specified in the Table to this section.

TABLE

F1[…]

F1[…]

Council Directive 76/403/EEC of 6 April, 1976 on the disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls¹

Council Directive 80/68/EEC of 17 December, 1979 on the protection of groundwater against pollution caused by certain dangerous substances²

F2[Directive No. 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment³ F3[, as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014²

Council Directive 86/278/EEC of 12 June, 1986 on the protection of the environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture⁴

F1[…]

Council Directive 87/217/EEC of 19 March, 1987 on the prevention and reduction of environmental pollution by asbestos⁵

Council Directive 89/369/EEC of 8 June, 1989 on the prevention of air pollution from new municipal waste incineration plants⁶

F1[…]

Council Directive 91/157/EEC of 18 March, 1991 on batteries and accumulators containing dangerous substances⁷

Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May, 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment⁸

F1[…]

Commission Directive 93/86/EEC of 4 October, 1993 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 91/157/EEC on batteries and accumulators containing certain dangerous substances⁹

F4[Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999¹⁰ on the landfill of waste and Council Directive 2011/97/EU of 5 December 2011 amending Directive 1999/31/EC as regards specific criteria for the storage of metallic mercury considered as waste]

F5[Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 on shipments of waste¹¹

European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December, 1994 on packaging and packaging waste¹²

F6[F1[…]

European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/53/EC of 18 September, 2000 on end-of-life vehicles¹³

European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/76/EC of 4 December, 2000 on the incineration of waste¹⁴

F7[European Parliament and Council Directive 2002/95/EC of 27 January 2003¹⁵ on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment

European Parliament and Council Directive 2002/96/EC of 27 January 2003¹⁶ on waste electrical and electronic equipment

European Parliament and Council Directive 2003/108/EC of 8 December 2003¹⁷ amending Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment]

F8[Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006¹⁸ on the management of waste from extractive industries

F9[…]

Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives]

3.— (1) This Act shall not apply to—

(a) gaseous effluents emitted into the atmosphere and carbon dioxide captured and transported for the purposes of geological storage and geologically stored in accordance with Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009¹⁹ on the geological storage of carbon dioxide or excluded from the scope of that Directive pursuant to Article 2(2) of that Directive,

(b) land (in situ) including unexcavated contaminated soil and buildings permanently connected with land,

(c) uncontaminated soil and other naturally occurring material excavated in the course of construction activities where it is certain that the material will be used for the purposes of construction in its natural state on the site from which it was excavated,

(d) the dumping (within the meaning of the Dumping at Sea Act 1981 (No. 8 of 1981)) of waste at sea,

(e) radioactive waste,

(f) decommissioned explosives, or

(g) faecal matter, if not covered by subsection (2)(b), straw and other natural non-hazardous agricultural or forestry material used in farming, forestry or for the production of energy from such biomass through processes or methods which do not harm the environment or endanger human health.

(2) This Act shall not apply to the following to the extent that they are covered by other Community acts:

(a) waste waters;

(b) animal by-products, including processed products covered by Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009²⁰ laying down health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption and repealing Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 (Animal by-products Regulation) F11[, except those which are destined for incineration, landfilling or use in a biogas or composting plant];

(c) carcasses of animals that have died other than by being slaughtered, including animals killed to eradicate epizootic diseases, and that are disposed of in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009;

(d) waste resulting from prospecting, extraction, treatment and storage of mineral resources and the working of quarries covered by Directive 2006/21/EC.

F12[(e) substances that are destined for use as feed materials as defined in point (g) of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC)No 767/200910 of the European Parliament and of the Council and that do not consist of or contain animal by-products.]

(3) Without prejudice to obligations under other relevant Community acts, this Act shall not apply to sediments relocated inside surface waters for the purpose of managing waters and waterways or of preventing floods or mitigating the effects of floods and droughts or land reclamation if it is proved that the sediments are non-hazardous.]

4. (1) In this Act—

“activity” includes operation;

“disposal”—

(a) means any operation which is not recovery even where the operation has as a secondary consequence the reclamation of substances or energy, and

(b) without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a), includes the disposal operations listed in the Third Schedule,

and “waste disposal activity” shall be construed accordingly;

“hazardous waste” means waste which displays one or more of the hazardous properties listed in the Second Schedule;

F13["non-hazardous waste" means waste which is not covered by the definition of hazardous waste.]

“recovery”—

(a) means any operation the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose by replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particular function, or waste being prepared to fulfil that function, in the plant or in the wider economy, and

(b) without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a), includes the recovery operations listed in the Fourth Schedule,

and "waste recovery activity" shall be construed accordingly;

“waste” means any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard.

(2) A reference in this Act to waste shall be construed as including a reference to hazardous waste.]

5.—(1) In this Act, save where the context otherwise requires—

“the Act of 1963” means the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963;

“the Act of 1987” means the Air Pollution Act, 1987;

“the Act of 1992” means the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992;

F15[“Act of 2022” means the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022;]

“aftercare” means, in relation to a facility which has been used for the purpose of waste recovery or disposal, any measures that are necessary to be taken in relation to the facility for the purpose of preventing environmental pollution following the cessation of the activity in question at the facility;

“the Agency” means the Environmental Protection Agency established under section 19 of the Act of 1992;

“any Minister of the Government concerned” means any Minister of the Government (other than the Minister) who, having regard to the functions vested in him or her, in the opinion of the Minister might be concerned with or interested in the matter in question;

F15[“approval”, in relation to a proposal under section 14A(4), means an approval given under section 14A(5) or renewed under section 14A(11) in respect of the CCTV scheme which is the subject of the proposal;

“approved CCTV scheme” means a CCTV scheme which is the subject of a proposal in respect of which an approval is in being;]

F16[“authorised person” means F17[(other than in section 10A)] a person who is appointed in writing by—

(a) the Minister,

(b) a local authority,

(c) the Agency,

(d) the Commissioner of the Garda Síochána (or a member of the Garda Síochána nominated by that Commissioner for the purposes of appointing authorised persons under this Act), or

(e) such other person as may be prescribed,

to be an authorised person for the purposes of this Act or any Part or section thereof;]

“authorised waste collector” means a holder of a waste collection permit that is in force;

F15[“automatic number plate recognition device” means a device which engages an automated method of recognising vehicle registration plates from a camera image;]

F18["backfilling" means any recovery operation where suitable non-hazardous waste is used for purposes of reclamation in excavated areas or for engineering purposes in landscaping. Waste used for backfilling must substitute non-waste materials, be suitable for the aforementioned purposes, and be limited to the amount strictly necessary to achieve those purposes;]

F19[“best available techniques” means best available techniques as defined in Article 2(12) of Directive 2008/1/EC;]

F15[“biometric data” has the meaning given to it by section 69 (1) of the Data Protection Act 2018;]

F20["bio-waste" means biodegradable garden and park waste, food and kitchen waste from households, offices, restaurants, wholesale, canteens, caterers and retail premises and comparable waste from food processing plants;]

F15[“body-worn recording device” means a recording device affixed to or contained in the clothing, uniform or headgear of an authorised person;]

F19[“broker” means any person arranging the recovery or disposal of waste on behalf of others, including any such person that does not take physical possession of the waste;]

F15[“CCTV scheme” has the meaning given to it by section 14A(1);]

F15[“closed circuit television” or “CCTV” means a system of recording devices the signals of which are not made publicly available but are monitored, or are capable of being monitored, by a local authority;

“code of practice” means a code of practice approved by the Minister in accordance with section 14C and includes part of a code of practice;]

F19[“collection” means the gathering of waste, including the preliminary sorting and storage of waste for the purposes of transport to a waste treatment facility;]

“commercial waste” means waste from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade or business or for the purposes of sport, recreation, education or entertainment but does not include household, agricultural or industrial waste;

“Community act” means an act adopted by an institution of the European Communities;

F18["construction and demolition waste" means waste generated by construction and demolition activities;]

“contravention” includes, in relation to any provision, a failure or refusal to comply with that provision, and “contravene” shall be construed accordingly;

F19[“dealer” means any person who acts in the role of principal to purchase and subsequently sell waste, including any such person who does not take physical possession of the waste;]

F21[“development” has the meaning assigned to it by section 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2000]

F22["EIA Directive" means Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011¹ as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014²;]

“emission” has the meaning assigned to it by the Act of 1992;

“emission into the atmosphere” means the emission of a pollutant, within the meaning of the Act of 1987, into the atmosphere;

F23[“emission limit value” means the mass, expressed in terms of a specific parameter, concentration or level of an emission, or both a specific concentration and level of an emission, which may not be exceeded during one or more periods of time;]

F24[“Environment Fund” has the meaning assigned to it by section 74;]

F42[…]

F21[“environmental impact assessment” shall be construed in accordance with section 40(2A);]

F22["environmental impact assessment report" shall be construed in accordance with section 40(2A);]

F25[F26[…]]

“environmental medium” has the meaning assigned to it by the Act of 1992;

“environmental pollution” means, in relation to waste, the holding, transport, recovery or disposal of waste in a manner which would F27[…] endanger human health or harm the environment, and in particular—

(a) create a risk to waters, the atmosphere, land, soil, plants or animals,

(b) create a nuisance through noise, odours or litter, or

(c) adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest;

“established activity” means—

(a) in relation to an activity the carrying on of which requires a waste licence, an activity—

(i) in respect of which a permission under Part IV of the Act of 1963 is granted before the date prescribed under section 39 (1) in respect of that activity (“the relevant date”) and which permission on that date has not ceased to have effect in accordance with the provisions of sections 2 and 4 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1982, or

(ii) which is, immediately before the relevant date, being carried on or was, at any time during the period of 12 months ending on the said date, carried on, other than an activity which involves or is associated with an unauthorised structure or an unauthorised use within the meaning of the Act of 1963, and

(b) in any other case, an activity which was being lawfully carried on immediately before the commencement of the provision concerned of this Act that requires the use of the F28[best available techniques];

“European Communities” has the meaning assigned to it by the European Communities Act, 1972;

“European Waste Catalogue” means the list of waste set out in Commission Decision 94/3/EC of 20 December, 1993¹, (made pursuant to Article 1 (a) of Council Directive 75/442/EEC² on waste) and includes such list as amended from time to time;

F24[“executive function” means a function other than a reserved function;]

F18["extended producer responsibility scheme" means a set of measures taken by Member States to ensure that producers of products bear financial responsibility or financial and organisational responsibility for the management of the waste stage of a product’s life cycle.]

F15[“facial recognition device” means a device or system of devices which, through automated use of biometric data, matches or categorises facial images captured by the device;]

“facility” means, in relation to the recovery or disposal of waste, any site or premises used for such purpose;

F18["food waste" means all food as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002¹¹ of the European Parliament and of the Council that has become waste;]

“functions” includes powers and duties and references to the performance of functions include, as respects powers and duties, references to the exercise of the powers and the carrying out of the duties;

F29[…]

“household waste” means waste produced within the curtilage of a building or self-contained part of a building used for the purposes of living accommodation;

F30[“Industrial Emissions Directive” means Directive 2010/75/EU¹ of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (Recast);]

“industrial waste” includes waste produced or arising from manufacturing or industrial activities or processes;

F30[“integrated pollution control activity” has the same meaning as it has in section 3 (amended by Regulation 4 of the European Union (Industrial Emissions) Regulations 2013) of the Act of 1992;]

“land” includes any subsoil thereunder and structure thereon and land covered with water (whether inland or coastal);

F31[“landfill” means a waste disposal site for the deposit of waste onto or into land (i.e. underground), including:

(a) internal waste disposal sites (i.e. landfill where a producer of waste is carrying out its own waste disposal at the place of production), and

(b) a permanent site (i.e. more than one year) which is used for temporary storage of waste, but excluding

(c) facilities where waste is unloaded in order to permit its preparation for further transport for recovery, treatment or disposal elsewhere, and

(d) storage of waste prior to recovery or treatment for a period less than three years as a general rule, or

(e) storage of waste prior to disposal for a period less than one year.]

“leachate” means any liquid percolating through deposited waste and emitted from or contained within a landfill;

“local authority” means—

(a) in the case of a county borough, the corporation of the county borough, and

(b) in the case of any other administrative county, the council of the county,

and references to the functional area of a local authority shall be construed accordingly;

F24[“manager” means—

(a) with respect to the corporation of a county borough, the manager for the purposes of the Acts relating to the management of the county borough, and

(b) with respect to the council of a county, the manager for the purposes of the County Management Acts, 1940 to 1994;]

F18["material recovery" means any recovery operation, other than energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or other means to generate energy. It includes, inter alia, preparing for re-use, recycling and backfilling;]

F19[“Minister” means the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government;]

F15[“mobile recording device” means a recording device, other than CCTV, and includes a body-worn recording device;]

“monitoring” includes the inspection, measurement, sampling or analysis, whether periodically or continuously, for the purpose of this Act, of waste, a premises at which waste is produced, or a facility at which waste is held, recovered or disposed of, and of any emissions therefrom, or any environmental medium which is affected by or which, in the opinion of the local authority concerned or the Agency may be affected by, such emissions;

“municipal waste” means household waste as well as commercial and other waste which, because of its nature or composition, is similar to household waste;

F18["municipal waste" means:

(a) mixed waste and separately collected waste from households, including paper and cardboard, glass, metals, plastics, bio-waste, wood, textiles, packaging, waste electrical and electronic equipment, waste batteries and accumulators, and bulky waste, including mattresses and furniture;

(b) mixed waste and separately collected waste from other sources, where such waste is similar in nature and composition to waste from households;

Municipal waste does not include waste from production, agriculture, forestry, fishing, septic tanks and sewage network and treatment, including sewage sludge, end-of-life vehicles or construction and demolition waste. This definition is without prejudice to the allocation of responsibilities for waste management between public and private actors;]

“occupier” includes, in relation to any premises, the owner, a lessee, any person entitled to occupy the premises and any other person having, for the time being, control of the premises;

F15[“operation”, in relation to closed circuit television, includes the maintenance and monitoring of closed circuit television;]

“packaging” means any material, container or wrapping, used for or in connection with the containment, transport, handling, protection, promotion, marketing or sale of any product or substance, including such packaging as may be prescribed;

“person in charge” includes, in relation to any premises, the occupier of the premises or a manager, supervisor or operator of an activity relating to the holding, disposal or recovery of waste which is carried on at the premises;

“planning authority” has the meaning assigned to it by the Act of 1963;

“plant” includes any equipment, appliance, apparatus, machinery, vehicle, skip, works, building or other structure used for the purposes of, or the provision of which is incidental to, the holding, disposal or recovery of waste;

F29[…]

“premises” includes any messuage, building, vessel, structure or land (whether or not there are structures on the land and whether or not the land is covered with water), and any plant or vehicles on such land, or any hereditament of any tenure, together with any out-buildings and curtilage;

F32[“preparing for re-use” means checking, F33[cleaning] or repairing recovery operations, by which products or components of products that have become waste are prepared so that they can be re-used without any other pre-processing;]

“prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister under this Act;

F34["prevention" means measures taken before a substance, material or product has become waste, that reduce:

(a) the quantity of waste, including through the re-use of products or the extension of the life span of products;

(b) the adverse impacts of the generated waste on the environment and human health; or

(c) the content of hazardous substances in materials and products;]

“product” includes any naturally occurring or manufactured thing;

“public authority” means—

(a) a Minister of the Government,

(b) the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland,

(c) a local authority for the purposes of the Local Government Act, 1941,

(d) a harbour authority within the meaning of the Harbours Act, 1946,

(e) a health board established under the Health Act, 1970,

(f) a board or other body established by or under statute,

(g) a company in which all the shares are held by, or on behalf of, or by directors appointed by, a Minister of the Government, or

(h) a company in which all the shares are held by a board, company, or other body referred to in paragraph (f) or (g) of this definition;

F15[“recording device” means a device that is capable of recording or processing, or both, visual images or audio, or both, on any medium, from which a visual image or moving visual images may be produced and includes any accompanying document, and, where only visual images or moving visual images are concerned, includes any sound accompanying those images but does not include automatic number plate recognition devices or facial recognition devices;]

F19[“recycling”—

(a) subject to paragraph (b), means any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances, whether for the original or other purposes, including the reprocessing of organic material,

(b) does not include—

(i) energy recovery, and

(ii) the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backfilling operations;

“regeneration of waste oils” means any recycling operation whereby base oils can be produced by refining waste oils, in particular by removing the contaminants, the oxidation products and the additives contained in such oils;

“the Regulations of 2011” means the European Communities (Waste Directive) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 126 of 2011);]

F18["the Regulations of 2020" means the European Union (Waste Directive) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 323 of 2020);]

“reserved function” means—

(a) in relation to the council of a county, a reserved function for the purposes of the County Management Acts, 1940 to 1994,

(b) in relation to the corporation of a county borough, a reserved function for the purposes of the Acts relating to the management of the county borough;

F32[“re-use” means any operation by which products or components that are not waste are used again for the same purpose for which they were conceived;

“separate collection” means the collection where a waste stream is kept separately by type and nature so as to facilitate a specific treatment;]

“service station” means any installation where fuel is capable of being dispensed to motor vehicle fuel tanks from stationary storage tanks;

“sewage” and “sewage effluent” have the meanings assigned to them by the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act, 1977;

“scheduled activity” means any process, development or operation for the time being specified in the First Schedule to the Act of 1992;

“structure” means any building, erection, structure, excavation, or other thing, constructed, erected, or made on, in or under land, or any part of a structure so defined, and, where the context so admits, includes the land on, in, or under which the structure is situate;

“temporary storage of waste” shall be construed in accordance with subsection (3);

“transport” includes, in relation to waste, the movement of waste by road, rail, air, sea or inland waterway but does not include the movement of waste from one place to another—

(a) by means of any pipe or similar apparatus which joins those two places, or

(b) on and within the site at which the waste is held for the time being;

F19[“TFS Regulation” means Regulation (EC) No. 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006⁶ on shipments of waste;

“treatment” means recovery or disposal operations, including preparation prior to recovery or disposal;]

“vehicle” includes—

(a) part of a vehicle,

(b) an article designed as a vehicle but not capable of functioning as a vehicle,

(c) a skip designed or used for carriage on a vehicle,

(d) a load on a vehicle;

“waste collection permit” has the meaning assigned to it by section 34;

F32[“Waste Directive” means Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives;

“waste holder” means the waste producer or the person who is in possession of the waste;]

F35["waste management" means the collection, transport, recovery including sorting, and disposal of waste, including the supervision of such operations and the after-care of disposal sites, and including actions taken as a dealer or broker;]

F32[“waste oils” means any mineral or synthetic lubrication or industrial oils which have become unfit for the use for which they were originally intended, such as used combustion engine oils and gearbox oils, lubricating oils, oils for turbines and hydraulic oils;

“waste producer” means anyone—

(a) whose activities produce waste (in this Act referred to as the “original waste producer”), or

(b) who carries out pre-processing, mixing or other operations resulting in a change in the nature or composition of such waste;

“waste prevention and management legislation and policy” means—

(a) this Act and regulations made under this Act,

(b) policy issued by the Minister,

(c) waste management plans made by a local authority, or

(d) waste prevention programmes guidance or policy issued by the Agency;]

“waste licence” shall be construed in accordance with section 37;

F36[“waste service” means any service, facility, approval or other thing which a local authority may or is required to render, supply, grant, issue or otherwise provide in the performance of any of its functions under this Act to any person or in respect of any premises;]

“waters” has the meaning assigned to it by the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act, 1977.

F37[(1A) In this Act, a reference to—

(a) the date on which a waste licence is granted is a reference to the date on which the licence is sealed with the seal of the Agency, and

(b) the date on which a decision by the Agency to refuse a waste licence is made is a reference to the date on which that decision, as reduced to writing, is so sealed.]

F38[(2) (a) A reference in this Act to “best available techniques” shall be construed as meaning the most effective and advanced stage in the development of an activity and its methods of operation, which indicate the practical suitability of particular techniques for providing, in principle, the basis for emission limit values designed to prevent or eliminate, or where that is not practicable, generally to reduce an emission and its impact on the environment as a whole.

(b) For the purposes of paragraph (a)—

(i) “best”, in relation to techniques, means the most effective in achieving a high general level of protection of the environment as a whole;

(ii) “available techniques” means those techniques developed on a scale which allows implementation in the relevant class of activity specified in the Third and Fourth Schedules, under economically and technically viable conditions, taking into consideration the costs and advantages, whether or not the techniques are used or produced within the State, as long as they are reasonably accessible to the person carrying on the activity;

(iii) “techniques” includes both the technology used and the way in which the installation is designed, built, managed, maintained, operated and decommissioned.

(c) F39[…]]

(3) In this Act, a reference to the temporary storage of waste shall, without prejudice to any particular provision that may be made pursuant to section 39(6), be construed as a reference to the storage of waste for a period not exceeding 6 months.

F40[(3A) References in this Act to Dublin City Council are references to Dublin City Council in its designation as the competent authority under Article 53 of the TFS Regulation as provided for in Regulation 4 of the Waste Management (Shipments of Waste) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 419 of 2007).]

F41[(3B) Subject to this Act, a word or expression that is used in this Act and that is also used in the EIA Directive has, unless the context otherwise requires, the same meaning in this Act as it has in that Directive.]

(4) In this Act, a reference to a Part, section, or Schedule is a reference to a Part or section of, or a Schedule to, this Act unless it is indicated that reference to some other enactment is intended.

(5) In this Act, a reference to a subsection, paragraph or subparagraph is a reference to the subsection, paragraph or subparagraph of the provision (including a Schedule) in which the reference occurs, unless it is indicated that a reference to some other provision is intended.

(6) In this Act a reference to any enactment shall be construed as a reference to that enactment as amended, adapted or extended by or under any subsequent enactment (including this Act).

6.—(1) Each enactment mentioned in column (2) of Part I of the Fifth Schedule is hereby repealed to the extent specified in column (3) of the said Part.

(2) Each statutory instrument mentioned in column (2) of Part II of the Fifth Schedule is hereby revoked to the extent specified in column (3) of the said Part.

7.—(1) The Minister may make regulations prescribing any matter or thing which is referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed or for the purpose of enabling any provision of this Act to have full effect.

(2) Regulations made under this Act may make different provisions in relation to different areas, different circumstances, different classes of persons or waste and different waste management or other activities.

(3) A regulation under this Act (other than a regulation under section 7 (6), 39 (8) or 62) or an order under this Act (other than an order under F44[section 1(2), 8, 69(1) or 72(12)] or an order under subsection (5) amending or revoking an order under section 8 or 69 (1)) shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling such regulation or order is passed by either such House within the next 21 days on which that House has sat after the regulation or order is laid before it, the regulation or order shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

(4) Where regulations under section 7 (6), 39 (8) or 62, or an order under section 8 or 69 (1) or an order under subsection (5) amending or revoking such an order, is or are proposed to be made, a draft of the regulations or the order, as the case may be, shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and the regulations or order shall not be made until a resolution approving of the draft has been passed by each such House.

(5) (a) The Minister may by order amend or revoke an order made by him or her under this Act (F45[F46[…]including an order under this paragraph]) and by direction amend or revoke a direction given by him or her under this Act (including a direction under this paragraph).

(b) The Agency may by direction amend or revoke a direction given by it under this Act (including a direction under this paragraph).

(c) An order or direction under this subsection shall be made or given in the like manner and its making or giving shall be subject to the like (if any) consents and conditions as the order or direction that it is amending or revoking.

(6) If in any respect any difficulty arises in bringing any provision of this Act into operation or in relation to the operation of any such provision, the Minister may by regulations do anything which appears to him or her to be necessary or expedient for removing that difficulty, for bringing that provision into operation, or for securing or facilitating its operation, and any such regulations may modify any provision of this or any other enactment so far as may be necessary or expedient for the purposes aforesaid but no regulations may be made under this subsection in relation to a provision of this Act after the expiration of 2 years from the commencement of that provision.

8.—The Minister may make an order amending the Third Schedule or the Fourth Schedule by adding or deleting anything to or from either of the said Schedules.

9.—(1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of a person being a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, or a person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, that person as well as the body corporate shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished as if he or she were guilty of the first-mentioned offence.

(2) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, subsection (1) shall apply in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with his or her functions of management as if he or she were a director of the body corporate.

10.—(1) A person guilty of an offence under this Act (other than an offence referred to in subsection (2)) shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a F47[class A fine] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both such fine and such imprisonment, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding F48[€15,000,000] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(2) A person guilty of an offence under section 16 (5), 32 (6) (where the offence consists of a contravention of regulations under subsection (4) of that section), 33 (8) F49[34(1)(c), in so far as the offence consists of contravention of a condition attached, under section 34(7)(d), to a waste collection permit, 34(10A), 34A(13)], 38 (7) or 40 (13) shall be liable on summary conviction to a F50[class A fine] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(3) If the contravention in respect of which a person is convicted of an offence under this Act is continued after the conviction, the person shall be guilty of a further offence on every day on which the contravention continues and for each such offence the person shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding F48[€1,000] or (in the case of an offence to which subsection (1) applies) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding F48[€130,000].

(4) In imposing any penalty under subsection (1), the court shall, in particular, have regard to the risk or extent of environmental pollution F51[, and any remediation required,] arising from the act or omission constituting the offence.

10A.— (1) Where an authorised person has reasonable grounds for believing that a person has committed a relevant offence the authorised person may give to the person a notice (in this Act referred to as a “fixed payment notice”) in writing and in the prescribed form stating that—

(a) the person is alleged to have committed that offence,

(b) the person may, during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice, make to the local authority concerned or the Agency, as appropriate, at the address specified in the notice a payment of the amount specified in subsection (4) in respect of that offence, accompanied by the notice,

(c) the person is not obliged to make the payment specified in the notice, and

(d) a prosecution of the person to whom the notice is given in respect of the relevant offence concerned will not be instituted during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice and, if the payment specified in the notice is made during that period, no prosecution in respect of that offence will be instituted.

(2) Where a fixed payment notice is given—

(a) the person to whom it applies may, during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice, make to the local authority concerned or the Agency, as appropriate, at the address specified in the notice the payment specified in the notice, accompanied by the notice,

(b) the local authority concerned or the Agency, as appropriate, shall receive the payment and shall, upon receipt of the payment, issue a receipt for it and any payment so received shall not be recoverable by the person who made it and the local authority or Agency, as appropriate, shall retain the money for disposal in accordance with subsection (5), and

(c) a prosecution in respect of the alleged offence shall not be instituted in the period specified in the notice, and if the payment specified in the notice is made during that period, no prosecution in respect of the alleged offence shall be instituted.

(3) In proceedings for a relevant offence it shall be a defence for the defendant to prove that he or she has made a payment in accordance with this section, pursuant to a fixed payment notice issued in respect of that offence.

(4) The amount to be specified in a fixed payment notice in respect of a relevant offence is—

(a) €2,000, where the relevant offence consists of a contravention of Regulation 10(5)(a) of the WEEE Regulations,

(b) €1,000, where the relevant offence consists of a contravention of—

(i) Regulation 17(3) or 21(1)(b) of the Batteries and Accumulators Regulations,

(ii) Regulation 14(1)(b)(i), 14(1)(b)(iii), 20(a) or 22(1) of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations,

(iii) Regulation 10(1)(b), 10(1)(c) or 10(1)(d) of the Packaging Regulations, or

(iv) Regulation 10(7) or 15(1)(a)(ii) of the WEEE Regulations,

(c) €500, where the relevant offence consists of a contravention of—

(i) Regulation 21(4)(a) or 32(c) of the Batteries and Accumulators Regulations,

(ii) Regulation 10(1)(a), 15(1)(b) or 15(2)(c) of the Packaging Regulations, or

(iii) Regulation 13(5), 29(a)(i), 29(a)(ii) or 30(3) of the WEEE Regulations,

or

(d) €100, where the relevant offence consists of contravention of Regulation 33 of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations.

(5) (a) Moneys received by a local authority pursuant to the giving of a fixed payment notice shall be lodged to the credit of the local fund maintained by the local authority concerned pursuant to, and in accordance with, section 97 of the Local Government Act 2001 and expended in accordance with that section.

(b) Moneys received by the Agency pursuant to the giving of a fixed payment notice shall be disposed of in a manner determined by the Agency with the prior consent of the Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

(6) (a) In this section—

“authorised person” means—

(i) in relation to a relevant offence referred to in paragraph (b)(i), an authorised person within the meaning of the Batteries and Accumulators Regulations,

(ii) in relation to a relevant offence referred to in paragraph (b)(ii), an authorised person within the meaning of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations,

(iii) in relation to a relevant offence referred to in paragraph (b)(iii), an authorised person within the meaning of the Packaging Regulations, and

(iv) in relation to a relevant offence referred to in paragraph (b)(iv), an authorised person within the meaning of the WEEE Regulations;

“Batteries and Accumulators Regulations” means the European Union (Batteries and Accumulators) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 283 of 2014);

“End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations” means the European Union (End-of-Life Vehicles) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 281 of 2014);

“Packaging Regulations” means the European Union (Packaging) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 282 of 2014);

“WEEE Regulations” means the European Union (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 149 of 2014).

(b) In this section “relevant offence” means—

(i) an offence under Regulation 47 of the Batteries and Accumulators Regulations consisting of a contravention of Regulation 17(3), 21(1)(b), 21(4)(a) or 32(c) of those regulations,

(ii) an offence under Regulation 34 of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations consisting of a contravention of Regulation 14(1)(b)(i), 14(1)(b)(iii), 20(a), 22(1) or 33 of those regulations,

(iii) an offence under Regulation 34 of the Packaging Regulations consisting of a contravention of Regulation 10(1)(a), 10(1)(b), 10(1)(c), 10(1)(d), 15(1)(b) or 15(2)(c) of those regulations, or

(iv) an offence under Regulation 39 of the WEEE Regulations consisting of a contravention of Regulation 10(5)(a), 10(7), 13(5), 15(1)(a)(ii), 29(a)(i), 29(a)(ii) or 30(3) of those regulations.]

10B.— (1) Where an authorised person has reasonable grounds for believing that a person has committed an offence under section 34(1)(c), in so far as the offence consists of contravention of a condition attached, under section 34(7)(d), to a waste collection permit, the authorised person may give to the person a notice in writing (in this Act referred to as a “fixed payment notice”) in the prescribed form stating that—

(a) the person is alleged to have committed that offence,

(b) the person may, during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice make to the local authority concerned at the address specified in the notice a payment of €500 in respect of that offence, accompanied by the notice,

(c) the person is not obliged to make the payment specified in the notice, and

(d) a prosecution of the person to whom the notice is given in respect of the offence will not be instituted during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice and, if the payment specified in the notice is made during that period, no prosecution in respect of that offence will be instituted.

(2) Where a fixed payment notice is given—

(a) the person to whom it applies may, during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice, make to the local authority concerned, at the address specified in the notice, the payment specified in the notice accompanied by the notice,

(b) the local authority concerned shall receive the payment and shall, upon receipt of the payment, issue a receipt for it and any payment so received shall not be recoverable by the person who made it and the local authority shall retain the money for disposal in accordance with subsection (4), and

(c) a prosecution in respect of the alleged offence shall not be instituted in the period specified in the notice, and if the payment so specified in the notice is made during that period, no prosecution in respect of the alleged offence shall be instituted.

(3) In proceedings for an offence under section 34(1)(c), in so far as the offence consists of contravention of a condition attached, under section 34(7)(d), to a waste collection permit, it shall be a defence for the defendant to prove that he or she has made a payment, in accordance with this section, pursuant to a fixed payment notice issued in respect of that offence.

(4) Moneys received by a local authority pursuant to the giving of a fixed payment notice shall be lodged to the credit of the local fund maintained by the local authority concerned pursuant to, and in accordance with, section 97 of the Local Government Act 2001 and expended in accordance with that section.]

10C.— (1) Where an authorised person has reasonable grounds for believing that a person has committed an offence under the European Union (Single Use Plastic) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 and the offence is to be prosecuted summarily the authorised person may give to the person a notice in writing (in this Act referred to as a “fixed payment notice”) in the prescribed form stating that —

(a) the person is alleged to have committed that offence,

(b) the person may, during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice make to the local authority concerned or to the Agency, as appropriate, at the address specified in the notice a payment of € 2,000 in respect of that offence, accompanied by the notice,

(c) the person is not obliged to make the payment specified in the notice, and

(d) a prosecution of the person to whom the notice is given in respect of the offence will not be instituted during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice and, if the payment specified in the notice is made during that period, no prosecution in respect of that offence will be instituted.

(2) Where a fixed payment notice is given —

(a) the person to whom it applies may, during the period of 21 days beginning on the date of the notice, make to the local authority concerned or to the Agency, as appropriate, at the address specified in the notice, the payment specified in the notice,

(b) the local authority concerned or the Agency, as appropriate, shall receive the payment and shall, upon receipt of the payment, issue a receipt for it and any payment so received shall not be recoverable by the person who made it and the local authority concerned or the Agency, as appropriate, shall retain the money for disposal in accordance with subsection (4), and

(c) a prosecution in respect of the alleged offence shall not be instituted in the period specified in the notice, and if the payment so specified in the notice is made during that period, no prosecution in respect of the alleged offence shall be instituted.

(3) In proceedings for an offence under the European Union (Single Use Plastic) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 it shall be a defence for the defendant to prove that he or she has made a payment, in accordance with this section, pursuant to a fixed payment notice issued in respect of that offence.

(4) (a) Moneys received by a local authority pursuant to the giving of a fixed payment notice shall be lodged to the credit of the local fund maintained by the local authority concerned pursuant to, and in accordance with, section 97 of the Local Government Act 2001 and expended in accordance with that section.

(b) Moneys received by the Agency pursuant to the giving of a fixed payment notice shall be disposed of in a manner determined by the Agency with the prior consent of the Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.]

11.—(1) Subject to subsection (5), summary proceedings for an offence under this Act may be brought by a local authority (whether or not the offence is committed in the authority’s functional area) or by the Agency.

(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Minister may, by regulations, provide that summary proceedings for an offence aforesaid specified in the regulations may be brought by such person (including the Minister) as is so specified.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10 (4) of the Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act, 1851, summary proceedings in relation to an offence under this Act may be commenced—

(a) at any time within 12 months from the date on which the offence was committed, or

(b) if, at the expiry of that period, the person against whom the proceedings are to be brought is outside the State, within 6 months of the date on which he or she next enters the State, or

(c) at any time within 6 months from the date on which evidence that, in the opinion of the person by whom the proceedings are brought, is sufficient to justify the bringing of the proceedings, comes to such person’s knowledge,

whichever is the later, provided that no such proceedings shall be commenced later than 5 years from the date on which the offence concerned was committed.

(4) For the purpose of this section, a certificate signed by or on behalf of the person bringing the proceedings as to the date on which evidence relating to the offence concerned came to his or her knowledge shall be prima facie evidence thereof and in any legal proceedings a document purporting to be a certificate issued for the purpose of this subsection and to be so signed shall be deemed to be so signed and shall be admitted as evidence without proof of the signature of the person purporting to sign the certificate.

(5) Subject to any order under section 69, summary proceedings for an offence under this Act in respect of a failure to comply with a condition attached to a waste licence or any other requirements of or under this Act in relation to the carrying on of an activity, the subject of such a licence, may only be brought by the Agency.

11A.—In a prosecution for an offence under section 32(6) or 39(9) relating to the recovery or disposal of waste on, in, over or under any land where it is proved that, by reason of—

(a) the nature of the particular recovery or disposal activity that was carried on,

(b) the period of time over which it appears that activity was carried on,

(c) the characteristics of the land and the degree of use or control it appears the owner of the land made of, or exercised in relation to, the land at the relevant time or times, or

(d) any other relevant circumstances,

it is a reasonable inference that that recovery or disposal was carried on with the consent of the owner of the land then, it shall be presumed, until the contrary is shown, that that recovery or disposal was carried on with that owner’s consent.]

12.—Where a person is convicted of an offence under this Act in proceedings brought by a local authority, the Agency, or a person specified under section 11 (2), the court shall, unless it is satisfied that there are special and substantial reasons for not so doing, order the person to pay to the local authority, Agency or other person, as the case may be, the costs and expenses, measured by the court, incurred by the local authority, Agency or other person in relation to the investigation, detection and prosecution of the offence, including costs and expenses incurred in the taking of samples, the carrying out of tests, examinations and analyses and in respect of the remuneration and other expenses of directors, employees, consultants and advisers, as the case may be.

13.—Where a court imposes a fine or affirms or varies a fine imposed by another court for an offence under this Act in proceedings brought by a local authority, the Agency or a person specified under section 11(2) it shall, on the application of the local authority, the Agency or the said person, as the case may be (made before the time of such imposition, affirmation or variation), provide by order for the payment of the amount of the fine to the local authority, the Agency or the said person and such payment may be enforced by the local authority, the Agency or the said person, as the case may be, as if it were due to it or him or her on foot of a decree or order made by the court in civil proceedings.

14.—(1) An authorised person may, for any purpose connected with this Act—

(a) at all reasonable times, or at any time if he or she has reasonable grounds for believing that there may be a risk of environmental pollution arising from the carrying on of an activity at the premises or that such pollution is occurring, enter any premises and bring thereon such other persons (including members of the Garda Síochána) or equipment as he or she may consider necessary for the purpose, and

F65[(b) at any time halt (if necessary) and board any vehicle and have it taken, or require the driver of the vehicle to take it, to a place designated by the authorised person, and such a vehicle may be detained at that place by the authorised person for such period as he or she may consider necessary for the purpose.]

(2) Subject to subsection(7), an authorised person shall not, other than with the consent of the occupier, enter into a private dwelling under this section unless he or she has given to the occupier of the dwelling not less than 24 hours notice in writing of his or her intended entry.

(3) Every authorised person shall be furnished with a certificate of his or her appointment and when exercising any power conferred on him or her by or under this Act, the authorised person shall, if requested by any person affected, produce the certificate to that person.

(4) Whenever an authorised person enters any premises or boards any vehicle, pursuant to this section, the authorised person may therein, as appropriate—

(a) make such plans, take such photographs F66[, record such information on data loggers, make such tape, electrical, video or other recordings] and carry out such inspections,

(b) make such tests F67[make such copies of documents and records (including records in electronic form) found therein and take such samples],

(c) carry out such surveys, take such levels, make such excavations and carry out such examinations of depth and nature of subsoil,

(d) require that the premises or vehicle or any part of the premises or anything in the premises or vehicle shall be left undisturbed for such period,

(e) require from an occupier of the premises or any occupant of the vehicle or any person employed on the premises or any other person on the premises, such information,

(f) require the production of and inspect such records and documents F68[, including records held in electronic form], and take copies of or extracts from, or take away if considered necessary for the purposes of inspection or examination, any such records or documents,

as the authorised person, having regard to all the circumstances, considers necessary for the purposes of exercising any power conferred on him or her by or under this Act.

(5) (a) An authorised person who, having entered any premises or boarded any vehicle, pursuant to this section, considers that waste thereon or therein is such, or is being handled or transported in such manner, as to constitute a risk of environmental pollution, may direct the holder of such waste to take such measures as are considered by that authorised person to be necessary to remove that risk, including the disposal of the waste, in such manner and place and within such period as the authorised person may specify.

(b) If a holder of waste fails to comply with a direction of an authorised person under this subsection, the authorised person may do all things as are necessary to ensure that the direction is carried out and the costs incurred by him or her in doing any such thing shall be recoverable from the holder of the waste by him or her, or the person by whom he or she was appointed, as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.

(6) Any person who—

(a) refuses to allow an authorised person to enter any premises or board any vehicle or to take any person or equipment with him or her in the exercise of his or her powers under this section,

(b) obstructs or impedes an authorised person in the exercise of any of his or her powers under this section,

(c) gives either to an authorised person, a relevant local authority or the Agency, information which to his or her knowledge is false or misleading in a material respect, or

(d) fails or refuses to comply with any requirement of this section or of an authorised person,

shall be guilty of an offence.

(7) (a) Where an authorised person in the exercise of his or her powers under this section is prevented from entering any premises or if an authorised person has reason to believe that evidence related to a suspected offence under this Act may be present in any premises and that the evidence may be removed therefrom or destroyed, the authorised person or the person by whom he or she was appointed may apply to a judge of the District Court for a warrant under this subsection authorising the entry by the authorised person into the premises.

(b) If on application being made to him or her under this subsection, a judge of the District Court is satisfied, on the sworn information of the applicant, that the authorised person concerned has been prevented from entering a premises as aforesaid or that the authorised person has reasonable grounds for believing the other matters aforesaid, the judge may issue a warrant under his or her hand authorising that person, accompanied, if the judge deems it appropriate so to provide, by such number of members of the Garda Síochána as may be specified in the warrant, at any time or times within 1 month from the date of the issue of the warrant, on production if so requested of the warrant, to enter, if need be by force, the premises concerned and exercise the powers referred to in subsection (4) or (5).

(8) An authorised person may, in the exercise of any power conferred on him or her by this Act involving the bringing of any vehicle to any place, or where he or she anticipates any obstruction in the exercise of any other power conferred on him or her by or under this Act, request a member of the Garda Síochána to assist him or her in the exercise of such a power and any member of the Garda Síochána of whom he or she makes such a request shall comply therewith.

(9) An authorised person may enter on land for the purpose of assessing the suitability of the land for waste disposal; such an entry shall be subject to the relevant provisions of section 83 (other than subsection (6)) of the Act of 1963 as if it were an entry made under that section.

(10) The Minister may make regulations for the purposes of this section.

(11) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (10), regulations under this section may provide for all or any of the following matters—

(a) the taking of samples and the carrying out of tests, examinations and analyses,

(b) the specification of the classes of persons to be responsible for taking such samples and for the carrying out of such tests, examinations and analyses, or

(c) the specification of the certificate or other evidence to be given of the result of any such test, examination or analysis and the class or classes of person by whom such certificate or evidence is to be given.

(12) Any certificate or other evidence given or to be given in respect of any prescribed test, examination or analysis of any sample shall in relation to that sample be evidence, without further proof, of the result of the test, examination or analysis unless the contrary is shown.

14A.— (1) An authorised person may submit a proposal in accordance with subsection (4) for the installation and operation of closed circuit television in the functional area of, or any particular area within the functional area of, a local authority (in this Part referred to as "a CCTV scheme"), for the purposes of—

(a) deterring environmental pollution, and

(b) facilitating the deterrence, prevention, detection and prosecution of offences under this Act.

(2) A proposal made under subsection (1) shall include—

(a) details of the location, number and technical specification of the devices to be used in the CCTV scheme,

(b) details of the geographical areas to be covered by the CCTV scheme,

(c) a plan prepared in accordance with subsection (3) for the purposes of this paragraph in respect of the CCTV scheme, and

(d) such other matters referred to in the code of practice approved under section 14C in respect of the operation of this section that relate to the installation and operation of the CCTV scheme.

(3) A plan prepared for the purposes of subsection (2)(c)—

(a) shall contain details of the arrangements proposed in respect of—

(i) the monitoring, recording and disclosure of the images, sounds or documents, produced pursuant to the CCTV scheme, and

(ii) the preservation of recordings made and documents produced pursuant to that scheme,

(b) shall include a data protection impact assessment in respect of the CCTV scheme carried out in accordance with section 84 of the Data Protection Act 2018, and

(c) shall comply with—

(i) Part 5 of the Data Protection Act 2018, and

(ii) the code of practice approved under section 14C for the purposes of the operation of this section.

(4) A proposal under subsection (1) shall be submitted to the chief executive of the local authority in whose functional area, or part thereof, the proposed CCTV scheme is to operate and he or she shall decide whether or not to approve the proposal.

(5) Subject to subsections (6) to (8), the chief executive—

(a) may approve, or approve, subject to such modifications, terms and conditions (if any) as he or she considers appropriate, a proposal submitted to him or her under this section, and

(b) where he or she approves a proposal, whether with or without modifications, terms and conditions, he or she shall specify the date on which the approval expires.

(6) In deciding whether or not to approve a proposal under subsection (5), in considering what, if any, modifications, terms and conditions are appropriate and in specifying the date on which an approval is to expire, the chief executive shall consider the extent to which the proposal is proportionate to, and necessary for, the purposes referred to in subsection (1) and he or she shall not approve a proposal unless he or she is satisfied that the proposal is proportionate to, and necessary for, those purposes.

(7) Where the chief executive approves a proposal under subsection (5)—

(a) the approval shall—

(i) be in writing,

(ii) set out such modifications, terms and conditions (if any) as he or she considers appropriate, and

(iii) state the date on which the approval shall expire, and

(b) the CCTV scheme to which the approval relates shall be operated in accordance with the approval and with the code of practice approved under section 14C for the purposes of the operation of this section.

(8) Subject to subsections (11), (12) and (13), an approval given under subsection (5) shall expire not later than the date that is 5 years from the date on which the approval was given.

(9) The chief executive of a local authority in whose functional area, or part of whose functional area, an approved CCTV scheme is in operation and in respect of which an approval is in being—

(i) may, at any time, and

(ii) shall, not later than 5 years from the date on which the approval in respect of the CCTV scheme was given under subsection (5) and thereafter at intervals of not more than 5 years from the date of the immediately preceding review,

cause a review of the operation of that scheme to be carried out by an authorised person.

(10) An authorised person carrying out a review pursuant to this section shall consider—

(a) whether the approved CCTV scheme is being operated—

(i) in accordance with the approval in respect of the scheme, and

(ii) in compliance with the code of practice approved under section 14C for the purposes of the operation of this section,

(b) the extent to which the operation of the scheme during the period in respect of which the review is being conducted has been, and remains, successful, proportionate and necessary having regard to the purposes referred to in subsection (1), and

(c) such other matters that he or she considers appropriate having regard to the purposes referred to in subsection (1).

(11) Without prejudice to subsection (12), following a review carried out under subsection (10), the chief executive shall decide whether to—

(a) renew the approval given in respect of the scheme, subject to such modifications, terms and conditions, if any, as he or she considers appropriate, or

(b) revoke the approval,

and subsections (6) to (10) shall, with any necessary modifications, apply in respect of the decision of the chief executive under this subsection and, where renewed, the approval as so renewed.

(12) The chief executive may at any time revoke an approval where the CCTV scheme to which the approval relates has been operated otherwise than—

(a) in accordance with the approval, or

(b) in accordance with the code of practice for the time being approved under section 14C for the purposes of the operation of this section.

(13) Where, in relation to an approved CCTV scheme, it is proposed that there are to be changes to the scheme, other than repairs or modifications that do not alter the extent of the coverage of the scheme or the capability of the devices used in the scheme, an authorised person shall make a proposal under subsection (1) in respect of those changes and this section shall apply, with any necessary modifications, in respect of that proposal and where an approval is given in respect of that new proposal, the existing approval shall be revoked.

(14) Where an approval expires and is not renewed or is revoked by a chief executive under this section, the local authority shall, not later than one month after the date on which the approval expired or is revoked, as the case may be, terminate the operation of the CCTV scheme concerned.

(15) Notice of the approval, review or revocation of a proposal under this section shall be published on the website of the local authority concerned.

(16) In this section, "chief executive" has the same meaning as it has in section 2 of the Local Government Act 2001.]

14B.— (1) An authorised person acting in the course of his or her duties under this Act may, in accordance with this section and with the code of practice approved under section 14C for the purposes of the operation of this section, operate a mobile recording device for the purposes of—

(a) preventing, investigating, detecting or prosecuting offences under this Act, or

(b) ensuring his or her personal safety or security in preventing, investigating, detecting or prosecuting offences under this Act.

(2) The operation of a mobile recording device under subsection (1) must be necessary for, and proportionate to, the purpose for which it is operated.

(3) A mobile recording device shall be operated by an authorised person in accordance with the code of practice approved under section 14C for the purposes of the operation of this section.]

14C.— (1) The Local Government Management Agency shall, as soon as practicable after the coming into operation of section 22 of the Act of 2022, prepare and submit to the Minister for his or her approval a draft code or codes of practice for the purposes of setting standards for the operation of each of sections 14A and 14B.

(2) A draft code of practice referred to in subsection (1) shall, in respect of the section to which it relates, include provisions in relation to the following:

(a) the procedures and standards to be followed in the operation of the section including, where section 14A applies, in the installation of devices to be used in a CCTV scheme;

(b) confidentiality, security, storage, access to, retention, deletion and any other processing of, data gathered in accordance with the section;

(c) the circumstances in which data gathered under the section is to be disposed of or destroyed;

(d) the rights of data subjects in so far as they relate to the operation of the section concerned;

(e) such other matters, if any, related to the operation of the section that the Local Government Management Agency considers appropriate,

and the code or codes of practice may contain different provisions in relation to different types of devices or systems, in relation to different categories of persons and in relation to the different circumstances in which such devices or systems are operated.

(3) In preparing a draft code of practice under this section, the Local Government Management Agency—

(a) shall carry out or cause to be carried out on its behalf an assessment of the likely impact on data subjects of types of processing of personal data contemplated by section 14A or 14B, as the case may be,

(b) shall ensure that the assessment referred to in paragraph (a) contains the following:

(i) a general description of the type of processing operations to which the assessment relates;

(ii) an assessment of the potential risks to the rights and freedoms of data subjects as a result of that processing;

(iii) a description of any safeguards, security measures or mechanisms proposed to be implemented by the local authority to mitigate any risk referred to in subparagraph (ii) and to ensure the protection of the personal data in relation to the types of processing contemplated by section 14A or 14B, as the case may be, and

(c) shall ensure that the draft code takes account of the assessment referred to in paragraph (a).

(4) Before submitting a draft code or codes of practice to the Minister under this section, the Local Government Management Agency—

(a) shall consult with—

(i) the Minister,

(ii) the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage,

(iii) the Minister for Justice, and

(iv) the Data Protection Commission,

(b) shall provide the assessment referred to in subsection (3) to the persons referred to in paragraph (a) before consulting with those persons, and

(c) may consult with any other person or body appearing to the Local Government Management Agency to have an interest in the operation of section 14A or 14B and such other person that the Minister may direct.

(5) The Minister may approve, with or without modifications, a code of practice submitted to him or her under this section.

(6) The Local Government Management Agency shall ensure that a code of practice approved by the Minister under this section is reviewed by it on a regular basis with the first review to be not later than 5 years from the date on which the code is first approved by the Minister, and, in the case of each subsequent review, not later than 5 years from the date of the previous review.

(7) The Local Government Management Agency shall consult with the persons referred to in subsection (4) when conducting a review under subsection (6).

(8) The Minister shall be informed in writing by the Local Government Management Agency of the outcome of a review under subsection (6).

(9) The Local Government Management Agency, following a review under subsection (6) or at any other time that it considers appropriate, may submit a further draft code of practice to the Minister to amend, revoke or replace, an existing code of practice, or to create a new code of practice or may request the Minister to renew the code which was the subject of the review.

(10) Subject to subsection (11), subsections (2) to (9) shall apply in relation to a draft code of practice submitted to the Minister under subsection (9) or a request made under that subsection to renew an existing code of practice as they apply to a draft code of practice submitted to the Minister under subsection (1).

(11) Subsection (10) shall not apply where the amendments being made to a code of practice are minor or technical only.

(12) A code of practice, renewed or approved, as the case may be, by the Minister under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas by the Local Government Management Agency and shall be published on a website maintained by or on behalf of the Minister or the Government.]

14D.— (1) Evidence obtained under section 14, 14A or 14B—

(a) may be admitted as evidence in criminal proceedings, and

(b) shall not require the device from which it was obtained to be exhibited in court proceedings.

(2) Nothing in section 14, 14A or 14B is to be construed as prejudicing the admissibility of information or material obtained otherwise than as a result of operating a recording device under the provisions of this Act.

(3) Information obtained as a result of the operation of an approved CCTV scheme may be admitted as evidence in criminal proceedings notwithstanding any error or omission on the face of the approval given in respect of the scheme concerned, if the court, having regard in particular to the matters specified in subsection (4), decides that—

(a) the error or omission concerned was inadvertent, and

(b) the information ought to be admitted in the interests of justice.

(4) The matters referred to in subsection (3) are—

(a) whether the error or omission concerned was serious or merely technical in nature,

(b) the nature of any right infringed by the manner in which the information was obtained,

(c) whether there were circumstances of urgency relating to the giving of the approval, or

(d) the probative value of the information concerned.

(5) A failure to observe any provision of section 14, 14A or 14B or of any code of practice approved under section 14C on the part of any local authority or authorised person, shall not (without prejudice to the power of the court to exclude evidence) of itself affect the admissibility of any evidence thereby obtained.

(6) It shall be presumed, unless the contrary is shown, that—

(a) any device used in an approved CCTV scheme or any mobile recording device operated for the purposes of this Act is a device capable of producing accurate information or material without the necessity of proving that that device was in good working order,

(b) the information produced by the device, and any copies thereof, is accurate, and

(c) the device was operated in accordance with the relevant code of practice approved under section 14C in respect of its operation.

(7) A person who—

(a) falsifies, conceals, destroys or otherwise disposes of, information gathered by a recording device while it was or is being operated under this Act,

(b) permits the falsification, concealment, destruction or disposal, of such information, or

(c) knowingly causes damage to or destroys a recording device,

shall be guilty of an offence.

(8) A person shall not be guilty of an offence under subsection (7) where he or she—

(a) destroys or disposes, or

(b) permits the destruction or disposal, of information gathered by a recording device in accordance with a code of practice approved under section 14C or otherwise in accordance with law.]

15.—(1) (a) Each local authority and the Agency shall carry out, or cause to be carried out, such monitoring of the nature, extent and effects of emissions to the environment arising from the holding, recovery or disposal of waste as it considers to be necessary for the performance of its functions under this Act.

F73[(b)(i) Establishments or undertakings which carry out waste treatment operations, establishments or undertakings which collect or transport waste on a professional basis, brokers and dealers, and establishments or undertakings which produce hazardous waste, shall be subject to appropriate periodic inspections by the local authorities, the Agency and Dublin City Council, as appropriate.

(ii) Inspections concerning collection and transport operations shall cover the origin, nature, quantity and destination of the waste collected and transported.

(iii) The authorities referred to in subparagraph (i) may take account of registrations obtained under the Community Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (in this Act referred to as "EMAS"), in particular regarding the frequency and intensity of inspections.]

F74[(1A) Each local authority and the Agency shall carry out, or cause to be carried out, such monitoring of compliance with environmental conditions attached to a waste licence under section 41(2A) or section 41(2B) as it considers to be necessary having regard to the nature, location and size of the activity and the significance of its effects on the environment.]

F73[(2)(a) The persons referred to in section 39(1), the producers of hazardous waste and the establishments and undertakings which collect or transport hazardous waste on a professional basis, or act as dealers and brokers of hazardous waste, shall keep a chronological record of the quantity, nature and origin of the waste, and, where relevant, the destination, frequency of collection, mode of transport and treatment method foreseen in respect of the waste, and shall make that information available, on request, to the local authorities, the Agency or Dublin City Council, as appropriate.

(b) For hazardous waste, the records shall be preserved for at least 3 years (except in the case of establishments and undertakings transporting hazardous waste which shall keep such records for at least 12 months).

(c) Documentary evidence that the management operations have been carried out shall be supplied by the establishment or undertaking concerned at the request of the local authorities, the Agency or Dublin City Council, or of a previous holder, as appropriate.]

(3) (a) Where it appears necessary so to do for any purpose of this Act, a local authority or the Agency may require any person who holds or is in control of the recovery or disposal of any waste to carry out or arrange to have carried out such monitoring in relation to the activity concerned as the local authority or the Agency may specify and to keep and to supply to the local authority or the Agency such records of the said monitoring as the local authority or the Agency may specify.

(b) A person who fails to comply with a requirement under this subsection shall be guilty of an offence.

(4) Each local authority and the Agency shall, if so requested by the Minister, supply to the Minister or to any person specified by the Minister, at such intervals and in such manner as the Minister may require, records of any monitoring carried out under this section that are in its possession or control.

(5) Each local authority and the Agency shall carry out or take or cause to be carried out or taken such monitoring or other measures as it considers necessary to verify that any monitoring or records of such monitoring required by it under subsection (3) to be carried out or kept are being carried out or kept.

(6) Without prejudice to any other provisions of this Act, the Minister shall make regulations requiring the making of payments to the Agency or a local authority by any person holding, dealing in, or in control of the recovery or disposal of, waste for the purpose of defraying costs which may be incurred by the Agency or local authority in carrying out any monitoring or inspection or taking other measures under this section in relation to the activities aforesaid of that person.

(7) A defrayment, the payment of which is required under regulations under this section, shall be payable on demand and, in default of being so paid, shall be recoverable from the person concerned by the Agency or local authority concerned as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.

16.—(1) Any notice required to be served or given by or under this Act shall be addressed to the person concerned and served or given in one of the following ways—

(a) by addressing it to the person by name and delivering it to him or her,

(b) by leaving it at the address at which the person ordinarily resides,

(c) by sending it by post in a prepaid registered letter addressed to the person at the address at which he or she ordinarily resides,

(d) if an address for the service of notices has been furnished by the person, by leaving it at, or sending it by prepaid registered post addressed to him or her to, F75[that address,]

(e) where the address at which the person ordinarily resides cannot be ascertained by reasonable inquiry and notice is required to be served on, or given to, him or her in respect of any premises, by delivering it to a person over the age of 16 years of age resident in or employed on the premises, or by affixing it in a conspicuous position on or F75[near the premises, or]

F76[(f) by such other means as may be prescribed.]

(2) Where the name of the person concerned cannot be ascertained by reasonable inquiry, a notice under this Act may be addressed to “the occupier”, “the owner” or “the person in charge”, as the case may be.

(3) For the purposes of this section, a company registered under the Companies Acts, 1963 to 1990, shall be deemed to be ordinarily resident at its registered office, and every other body corporate and every unincorporated body shall be deemed to be ordinarily resident at its principal office or place of business.

(4) A person shall not at any time during the period of 3 months after a notice is affixed under subsection (1) (e) remove, damage or deface the notice without lawful authority.

(5) A person who contravenes subsection (4) shall be guilty of an offence.

17.—(1) Where a provision of this Act, or of any regulation made under this Act, or of any notice served under this Act, enables representations or objections to be made, or requires documents, particulars or other information to be furnished, before the expiration of a specified period and the last day of the period is a Saturday, a Sunday, a public holiday (within the meaning of the Holidays (Employees) Act, 1973) or any other day on which the principal office of the local authority concerned or the Agency (as the case may be) is closed, the representations, objections, documents, particulars or other information (as the case may be) shall be regarded as having been received before the expiration of that period if received by the local authority or the Agency on the next following day on which the principal office of the local authority or the Agency is open.

(2) In this section “representations or objections” includes submissions and observations.

18.—(1) The Minister, a local authority or the Agency may, for any purpose relating to his or her or its functions under this Act, by the service of a notice in writing on the person, require—

(a) any holder of waste, or

(b) any person, engaged in the importation, exportation, production, collection, recovery or disposal of waste, or any related or ancillary activity, or

(c) any person acting as a waste broker or dealer, or

(d) the occupier or person in charge of any waste facility,

to maintain such records and to furnish in writing to the Minister, local authority or Agency, as the case may be, within such period (being not less than 14 days after the date of the service of the notice) and, if appropriate, thereafter at such frequency as may be specified in the notice, such particulars, as to—

(i) any activity or process as aforesaid or any facility concerned,

(ii) provision proposed to be made or made or measures taken for the importation, exportation, collection, recovery or disposal of any waste concerned,

(iii) the origin, type, quantity, nature, composition and properties of waste concerned, or

(iv) any other related or ancillary matter,

as may be so specified.

(2) A person who fails to comply with a notice under this section or who furnishes any information in reply to such a notice which he or she knows to be false or misleading in a material respect shall be guilty of an offence.

(3) The Minister shall make regulations requiring—

(a) a specified class or classes of person carrying on a specified class or classes of waste recovery or disposal activity, or

(b) a specified class or classes of holder or producer of a specified class or classes of waste,

to maintain specified records for a specified period or periods, and to provide or make available specified information, including evidence of specified matters, to a local authority, the Agency or any other specified person, at such frequency, under such circumstances and in such manner as may be specified.

(4) Information obtained under this section by a local authority, or any summary or compilation of, or any report based on, such information may, and shall if the Minister or the Agency so requests, be furnished to the Minister or the Agency, as the case may be.

(5) Each local authority and the Agency shall compile or otherwise obtain, and furnish to the Minister, such statistics or other information relating to any aspect of waste production and management, at such frequency, as may be specified in writing by the Minister.

(6) Where the Agency or a local authority brings proceedings against a person in respect of an offence under this Act, and the person is convicted of that offence, the Agency or the local authority, as the case may be, shall, as soon as may be after the conviction of the person, inform each local authority or, as the case may be, each other local authority and the Agency of the fact that the person has been so convicted, giving such details, as it thinks appropriate, of the nature of the offence.

(7) Where the Agency grants, effects the transfer or accepts the surrender of a waste licence, it shall (unless the holder of the licence or the transferee thereof is a local authority) within a period of 21 days thereafter inform the local authority in whose functional area the activity, the subject matter of the licence concerned, will be, or (as the case may be) is or has been, carried on, of that fact.

(8) A person who contravenes a provision of regulations under subsection (3) shall be guilty of an offence.

19.—(1) Each local authority and the Agency shall as soon as may be after the commencement of this section establish and maintain a register for the purposes of this Act, and shall make therein all such entries and additions as may, from time to time, be prescribed.

(2) A register under this section shall be kept at the principal office of the local authority concerned or the Agency, as the case may be, and shall be made available for inspection by any person during office hours.

(3) Where a request is made to a local authority or the Agency for a copy of an entry in the register maintained by it under this section, the authority or the Agency, as the case may be, shall issue such a copy to the applicant on, if it so requires, the payment by the applicant to it of a fee of such an amount (not exceeding the reasonable cost of making the copy) as it may determine.

(4) Every document purporting to be a copy of an entry in a register maintained by a local authority or the Agency under this section and purporting to be certified by an officer of the local authority or the Agency to be a true copy of the entry shall, without proof of the signature of the person purporting so to certify or that he or she was such an officer, be received in evidence in any legal proceedings and shall, until the contrary is proved, be deemed to be a true copy of the entry and to be evidence of the terms of the entry.

(5) Evidence of an entry in a register under this section may be given by production of a copy thereof certified pursuant to this section and it shall not be necessary to produce the register itself.

(6) A local authority shall notify, in such manner and at such times as may be prescribed, the Agency of such particulars entered in a register maintained by it under this section as may be prescribed.

(7) (a) A local authority or the Agency may keep a register under this section otherwise than in legible form so that the register is capable of being used to make a legible copy or reproduction of any entry in the register.

(b) References in the preceding provisions of this section to a copy of an entry in a register under this section shall be construed as including references to such a legible copy or reproduction.

20.—The expenses incurred by the Minister in the administration of this Act shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.

21.—(1) The Minister may, following consultation with the Agency, where he or she is satisfied that any function conferred on a local authority by this Act could be more effectively performed by the Agency in lieu of being performed by that authority, by regulations provide that the function shall be performed by the Agency with effect from a date specified in the regulations.

(2) Whenever regulations under subsection (1) are in force in relation to a particular function, a reference in this Act to a local authority shall, where appropriate, be construed as a reference to the Agency and the function to which the regulations relate shall be a function of the Agency.

(3) The Minister may, where he or she is satisfied that any function conferred on a local authority by this Act could, as respects the functional area of the corporation of a borough (other than a county borough), or the council of an urban district, that is situate in the functional area of that local authority, be more effectively performed by the said corporation or council in lieu of being performed by that authority, by regulations provide that the said function shall, with effect from a date specified in the regulations, be performed, as respects the first-mentioned functional area, by the said corporation or, as the case may be, council.

(4) Whenever regulations under subsection (3) are in force in relation to a particular function, a reference in this Act to a local authority shall, where appropriate, be construed as a reference to the corporation of the borough or the council of the urban district to which the regulations relate and the function to which the regulations relate shall be a function of the said corporation or council.

(5) Regulations under this section may contain such incidental, supplementary, consequential and transitional provisions (including provisions modifying and applying any provision of this Act or of any other enactment) as appear to the Minister to be necessary for the purpose or in consequence of, or to give full effect to, the regulations.

21A.— (1) The following waste hierarchy shall apply as a priority order in waste prevention and management legislation and policy:

(a) prevention;

(b) preparing for re-use;

(c) recycling;

(d) other recovery (including energy recovery); and

(e) disposal.

(2)(a) When applying the waste hierarchy referred to in subsection (1), the Minister, the Agency and the local authorities, in carrying out their respective functions under this Act, shall take measures to encourage the options that deliver the best overall environmental outcome.

(b) Such measures may require specific waste streams departing from the hierarchy where this is justified by life-cycle thinking on the overall impacts of the generation and management of such waste.

(3) The Minister shall ensure that the development of waste legislation and policy is a fully transparent process, observing existing national rules about the consultation and involvement of citizens and stakeholders.

(4) In carrying out their respective functions under this Act and related waste management legislation and policy, the Minister, the Agency and the local authorities shall take into account the general environmental protection principles of precaution and sustainability, technical feasibility and economic viability, protection of resources as well as the overall environmental, human health, economic and social impacts, in accordance with Article 1 of the Waste Directive and section 32(1).]

F78[(5) The Minister shall make use of economic instruments and other measures to provide incentives for the application of the waste hierarchy, such as those indicated in the Sixth Schedule or other appropriate instruments and measures.]

F78[(6) In order to contribute to the objectives laid down in Directives 2000/53/EC on the end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment, the Minister may also make use of the economic instruments and measures referred to under sub-paragraph (5) and indicated in the Sixth Schedule.]

22.—(1) In this section—

“relevant period” means the period beginning on the date of making of the waste management plan concerned or, as the case may be, the date on which the F79[last evaluation] of the said plan under subsection (4) was completed and ending on the date on which the local authority or authorities concerned expect to complete or, as may be appropriate, to next complete, F79[an evaluation] of the plan under that subsection;

F80["revise", in relation to a waste management plan, includes a review of the plan;]

“waste management plan” includes, where the context admits, a replacement waste management plan under subsection (4) F81[…].

F82[(2)(a) Subject to subsection (3) and section 24, in order that plans in combination cover the entire geographical territory of the State, each local authority shall make a waste management plan for non-hazardous waste in relation to its functional area.

(b) The Agency, shall, in accordance with section 26, establish such a plan for the State in respect of hazardous waste.

(c) The plans shall—

(i) lay down measures to protect the environment and human health by preventing or reducing the adverse impacts of the generation and management of waste and by reducing overall impacts of resource use and improving the efficiency of such use,

(ii) be in accordance with the waste hierarchy set out in section 21A,

(iii) meet the protection of human health and the environment obligations set out in section 32(1), and

(iv) meet the principles of self-sufficiency and proximity set out in section 37A.

(d) Waste management plans and the hazardous waste management plan in existence at the commencement of the Regulations of 2011 shall be evaluated by 31 December 2012 and, consequent on any such evaluation, where appropriate, be revised to be brought into line with the requirements of the Waste Directive.

(3) Two or more local authorities may, in lieu of each of them making a waste management plan, jointly make a plan (in this Act also referred to as a “waste management plan”) as respects their functional areas with regard to the matters specified in subsection (2).

(4) A local authority or, in the case of a waste management plan under subsection (3), the 2 or more local authorities concerned, shall ensure that a waste management plan made by it or them from time to time as occasion may require is evaluated at least once in each period of 6 years after the date of making of the plan and may, consequent on such an evaluation, where appropriate, make, in accordance with Article 9 of the Waste Directive, Regulation 31 of the Regulations of 2011 and section 23, any revisions to the plan or replace it with a new waste management plan as it or they thinks or think fit.]

(5) A local authority shall, before it commences the preparation of any of the following, namely, a waste management plan under subsection (2) or (3), a F83[revision] of, or a replacement for, such a plan under subsection (4) or a replacement for such a plan in compliance with a requirement made by the Minister under section 24, cause notice of its intention to commence such preparation to be published in a newspaper circulating in its functional area and such a notice shall state that written representations in relation to the matter may be made to the local authority within a specified period, being a period of not less than 2 months from the date of publication of the notice.

F84[(6)(a) A waste management plan shall—

(i) set out an analysis of the current waste management situation in the geographical entity concerned (if regional, for example, for the region),

(ii) set out the measures to be taken to improve environmentally sound preparing for re-use, recycling, recovery and disposal of waste, and

(iii)(I) set out an evaluation of how the plan will support the implementation of the objectives and provisions of the Waste Directive,

(II) set out such measures or arrangements as are to be taken or entered into by the local authority or local authorities,with a view to securing the objectives of the plan, and

(III) with regard to hazardous waste, cover the matters specified in subsection (8) in so far as they relate to its functional area.

F85[(b) A waste management plan shall contain, as appropriate, and taking into account the geographical level and coverage of the planning area, at least the following:

(i)(I) the type, quantity and source of waste generated within the territory, the waste likely to be shipped from or to the national territory, and an evaluation of the development of waste streams in the future; and

(II) a requirement that, in order to fulfil this obligation, liaison shall be undertaken, as appropriate, with the Minister, the Agency, Dublin City Council and other relevant local authorities;

(ii) existing major disposal and recovery installations, including any special arrangements for waste oils, hazardous waste, waste containing significant amounts of critical raw materials, or waste streams addressed by specific Union legislation;

(iii) an assessment of the need for closure of existing waste installations, and for additional waste installation infrastructure in accordance with section 37A. The Minister shall ensure that an assessment of the investments and other financial means, including for local authorities, required to meet those needs is carried out. This assessment shall be included in the relevant waste management plans or in other strategic documents covering the entire territory of the State;

(iv) information on the measures to attain the objective laid down in Article 5(3a) of Directive 1999/31/EC or in other strategic documents covering the entire territory of the Member State concerned;

(v) an assessment of existing waste collection schemes, including the material and territorial coverage of separate collection and measures to improve its operation, of any derogations granted in accordance with Article 10(3) of the Waste Directive, and of the need for new collection schemes;

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

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

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

F86[(ix) appropriate qualitative or quantitative indicators and targets, including in respect of any or all of the following:

(I) the quantity of generated waste and its treatment;

(II) municipal waste that is disposed of or subject to energy recovery;

(III) the use of products and materials that have been re-used, re‑manufactured or repaired, or any combination thereof;]

(x) information as respects the integration and implementation of measures consequential on, or incidental to, the requirements of section 27A in relation to waste prevention programmes;

(xi) the measures taken by the Minister to give effect to Article 22 of the Waste Directive in relation to bio-waste.]

(c) A waste management plan may contain, taking into account the geographical level and coverage of the planning area, the following:

(i) organisational aspects related to waste management including a description of the allocation of responsibilities between public and private actors carrying out the waste management;

(ii) an evaluation of the usefulness and suitability of the use of economic and other instruments in tackling various waste problems, taking into account the need to maintain the smooth functioning of the internal market;

(iii) the use of awareness campaigns and information provision directed at the general public or at a specific set of consumers.

F85[(d) Waste management plans shall conform to the waste planning requirements laid down in Article 14 of European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste, and the strategy for the implementation of the reduction of biodegradable waste going to landfills, referred to in Article 5 of Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste as well as national legislation and policy on biodegradable waste.]]

(7) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (6), a waste management plan shall, subject to such regulations as may be made by the Minister for the purposes of this section, include information on or otherwise have regard to—

(a) the policies and objectives, and the priorities respectively assigned to them, of the local authority or authorities concerned in relation to assisting the prevention and minimisation of waste and in relation to the management generally of activities carried on by it or them or other persons as respects the collection, recovery and disposal of waste within its or their functional area or areas;

(b) the measures which—

(i) will be taken during the relevant period by the local authority or authorities concerned, and

(ii) in so far as the local authority or authorities concerned can determine, will or may be taken during the relevant period by persons other than such authority or authorities,

for the purpose of preventing or minimising the production of waste;

(c) F87[…]

(d) F87[…]

(e) facilities, plant and equipment which the local authority or authorities concerned expect to be available or, in its or their opinion, will be required to be available for the collection, recovery or disposal of waste in its or their functional area or areas during the relevant period and matters relevant to the selection of sites in respect of facilities aforesaid;

(f) general requirements of a technical or other nature applicable to the collection, recovery and disposal of waste and the aftercare of facilities used for the disposal of waste;

(g) the steps to be taken generally by the local authority or authorities concerned to enforce the provisions of this Act in its or their functional area or areas;

(h) the identification of sites at which waste disposal or recovery activities have been carried on, the assessment of any risk of environmental pollution arising as a result of such activities, measures proposed to be taken, or, where such an assessment has already been made measures taken, in order to prevent or limit any such environmental pollution, the identification of necessary remedial measures in respect of such sites, and measures proposed to be taken, or, where such measures have already been identified, measures taken, to achieve such remediation, having regard to the cost-effectiveness of available remediation techniques;

(i) any incidental and ancillary matters;

(j) such other matters as may be prescribed.

(8) There shall be included in a waste management plan, but separate from the other information contained in the plan, information as respects the implementation of measures consequential on, or incidental to, the provisions of the hazardous waste management plan or any recommendations made by the Agency under section 26 (6).

F88[(8 bis.) F89[…]]

F86[(9) The Minister may make regulations relating to any matter to be set out or addressed in a waste management plan.]

F90[(10) (a) On and from the passing of the Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001, but without prejudice to paragraph (c), the duties of a local authority under this section with respect to the making of a waste management plan shall be carried out by the manager of the authority and, accordingly, the making of such a plan shall be an executive function.

(b) For the avoidance of doubt, the waste management plans to which paragraph (a) applies include such a plan which a local authority indicated its intention, before the passing of the Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001, to make jointly with one or more other local authorities but which plan it subsequently (but before the said passing) decided not to make.

(c) Where in the opinion of the manager of a local authority a waste management plan purporting to be made, before the passing of the Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001, by the authority jointly with one or more other local authorities is invalid because the decision of the authority purporting to make the plan, expressly or by implication, qualifies its assent to the plan—

(i) by making its assent to the plan subject to one or more conditions being satisfied, or

(ii) by the authority purporting to reserve to itself a power to vary the plan, otherwise than pursuant to the powers conferred on it in that behalf by this section, or

(iii) in any other respect whatsoever,

the manager shall, not later than the date prescribed for the purposes of subsection (2), by order—

(I) declare that he or she is of that opinion, and

(II) make the said plan,

and the said plan, as so made, shall, accordingly, be deemed for all purposes to be the waste management plan made by the local authority, but without prejudice to any steps taken by that or any other local authority, before the date of the making of the said order, pursuant to the terms of the said plan as purported to be jointly made by those local authorities.

F91[(d) On and from the commencement of section 26(2)(b) of the Protection of the Environment Act 2003, F92[the evaluation, revision] or replacement of a waste management plan shall be an executive function.]

(e) F93[…]

(f) F93[…]

(g) A local authority shall not, by resolution, under section 3 or 4 of the City and County Management (Amendment) Act, 1955, or section 179 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, give a direction that works not be proceeded with or require any act, matter or thing to be done or effected where the effect of such direction or requirement would be contrary to, or inconsistent with, any provision (including any objective contained therein) of a waste management plan or would limit or restrict the proper implementation of such a provision and any resolution purporting to be passed under the said section 3, 4 or 179 which contravenes this paragraph shall be void.

F94[(10A) (a) The development plan for the time being in force in relation to the functional area of a local authority shall be deemed to include the objectives for the time being contained in the waste management plan in force in relation to that area.

(b)(i) In the event of there being a conflict between an objective deemed to be included in a development plan by virtue of paragraph (a) (the “firstmentioned objective”) and an objective otherwise included in the development plan (the “second-mentioned objective”), the first-mentioned objective shall override the second-mentioned objective, irrespective of whether or not the development plan is subsequent to the waste management plan referred to in that paragraph.

(ii) A reference in subparagraph (i) to—

(I) an objective deemed to be included in a development plan by virtue of paragraph (a) shall be construed as including a reference to an objective deemed to be included in a development plan by virtue of this subsection before the amendment of it by section 26 of the Protection of the Environment Act 2003,

(II) an objective otherwise included in a development plan shall be construed as including a reference to an objective otherwise included in a development plan before the amendment of this subsection by that section 26.

(10AA) An application for permission under Part III of the Planning and Development Act 2000 shall not be refused by a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála solely on the ground that the development to which the application relates is not specifically referred to in the waste management plan in force in relation to the functional area of the planning authority if the planning authority or the Board, as the case may be, considers the development will facilitate the achievement of the objectives of that waste management plan.]

(10B) (a) Where a planning authority proposes to grant permission under Part III of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, for development which is consistent with the provisions (including any objectives contained therein) of, and is necessary for the proper implementation of, the waste management plan in force in relation to the authority’s functional area, but, in the opinion of the manager of the authority, would contravene materially any other objective of the development plan in force in relation to that area, the manager shall—

(i) publish notice of the intention of the authority to grant the permission in one or more newspapers circulating in that area,

(ii) give a copy of the notice to the applicant for permission and to any person who has made a submission or observation in writing in relation to the development to which the application relates in accordance with any regulations made under the Planning and Development Act, 2000.

(b) Any submission or observation in writing in relation to the making of a decision to grant the permission concerned which is received by the planning authority not later than 4 weeks after the publication of the notice in accordance with paragraph (a) shall be considered by the manager of the authority.

(c) Following consideration of any submissions or observations received in accordance with paragraph (b), the manager of the planning authority may, subject to, and in accordance with, the provisions of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (apart from the amendments of them effected by this section), decide to grant the permission, with or without conditions, or to refuse the permission.

(d) Section 34(6) of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, shall not apply to applications for permission referred to in paragraph (a).

(e) Notwithstanding section 34(8) of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, where a notice referred to in paragraph (a) is published in relation to an application for permission for development, the manager of the planning authority concerned shall make his or her decision in relation to the application within the period of 8 weeks beginning on the day on which the notice is first published.

(10C) (F95[a]) Where development which is consistent with the provisions (including any objectives contained therein) of, and is necessary for the proper implementation of, the waste management plan in force in relation to the area concerned but, in the opinion of the manager of the authority, would contravene materially any other objective of the development plan in force in relation to the area concerned, is proposed to be carried out by—

(F95[i]) a local authority that is a planning authority, or

(F95[ii]) some other person on behalf of, or jointly or in partnership with such a local authority, pursuant to a contract entered into by that local authority,

within the functional area of the authority (hereafter in this section referred to as “proposed development”), the manager shall publish notice of the intention of the authority to carry out the proposed development in one or more newspapers circulating in that functional area.

(F95[b]) Any submission or observation in writing in relation to the proposed development which is received by the planning authority not later than 4 weeks after the publication of the notice in accordance with paragraph (a) shall be considered by the manager of the authority.

(F95[c]) Following consideration of any submissions or observations received in accordance with subsection (2), the manager may—

(F95[i]) notwithstanding the fact that the proposed development would materially contravene the development plan, decide to proceed with the proposed development, with or without modifications (and, where he or she so decides, he or she shall follow the relevant procedures contained in section 175 or 179 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as appropriate), or

(F95[ii]) decide not to proceed with the proposed development.]

F96[(10D) (a) In performing their functions under the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2002, and, in particular, their functions under Part III and sections 175 and 179 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála shall ensure that such measures as are reasonably necessary are taken to secure appropriate provision for the management of waste (and, in particular, recyclable materials) within developments, including the provision of facilities for the storage, separation and collection of such waste (and, in particular, such materials) and the preparation by the appropriate persons of suitable plans for the operation of such facilities.

(b) The Minister may issue guidelines as to the steps that may be taken to comply with this subsection.]

(11) In making or F97[evaluating] a waste management plan, the local authority or authorities concerned shall have regard to the proper planning and development of its or their functional area or areas and shall, for this purpose, have regard to the provisions of—

(a) the development plan or plans and any special amenity area order made under the Act of 1963,

(b) a water quality management plan made under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts, 1977 and 1990, and

(c) an air quality management plan made under the Air Pollution Act, 1987,

for the time being in force in relation to the said area or areas.

(12) A local authority shall take such steps as are appropriate and necessary to attain in relation to its functional area the objectives in a waste management plan made by the authority (whether such plan has been made by the authority or jointly by the authority with another local authority or other local authorities).

(13) The corporation of a borough (not being a county borough) or the council of an urban district shall, in the performance by it of any functions in relation to waste management, have regard to the provisions of a waste management plan made by the council of the county in whose functional area the borough or urban district is situate.

(14) F98[…]

23.—(1) Where a local authority proposes to make, under subsection (2) or (3) of section 22, F101[or to revise] or replace under subsection (4) of that section, or to replace in compliance with a requirement made by the Minister under section 24, a waste management plan (“the plan”), the local authority shall cause to be published in at least one newspaper circulating in its functional area a notice of the proposal to F101[make, revise] or replace, as the case may be, the plan, and shall submit a copy of the proposed plan or, as the case may be, the proposed F101[revision] of the plan, to the Minister, the Agency and such other persons as may be prescribed.

(2) A notice under subsection (1) shall state that—

(a) a copy of the proposed plan or, as the case may be, F101[the proposed revision] of the plan may—

(i) be inspected at a specified place and at specified times during a specified period, being a period of not less than 2 months from the time when the proposed plan or F101[revision is deposited for inspection (and the proposed plan or revision] shall be so deposited and made available for such inspection accordingly), and

(ii) be purchased from the local authority (and the proposed plan or F101[revision] shall be made available for such purchase accordingly (at a cost not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy));

(b) written representations in relation to the proposed plan or to the F101[proposed revision] of the plan made to the local authority within the period aforesaid will be taken into consideration by the local authority or authorities concerned before the making of the plan or, as the case may be, F101[the revision] of the plan (and any such representations shall be taken into consideration accordingly).

(3) The local authority or authorities concerned, having considered any representations duly made to it or each of them, as the case may be, within the relevant period under subsection (2), may make, F101[revise] or replace the plan (whether in the terms as originally proposed or with such amendments as it or they thinks or think fit).

(4) (a) A local authority which has made a plan under subsection (2) or (3) of section 22 shall furnish to a person, on request and, if the authority so requires, payment to it by the person of such reasonable fee as it may charge, a copy of, or extract from, the plan, within a period of 21 days of receipt by the authority of such request, or of payment of such fee as it may charge, whichever shall be the later.

(b) A document purporting to be a copy of a plan or to be an extract from a plan and to be certified by an officer of a local authority which made the plan under subsection (2) or (3) of section 22 as a true copy shall be prima facie evidence of the plan or extract, as the case may be, and it shall not be necessary to prove the signature of such officer or that he or she was in fact such an officer.

(c) Evidence of a plan or of an extract from such plan may be given by production of a copy thereof certified pursuant to this subsection and it shall not be necessary to produce the plan itself.

24.—The Minister may, after consultation with the local authority or authorities concerned—

(a) require that two or more local authorities jointly make a waste management plan under section 22 (3),

(b) require that the making of waste management plans, whether under subsection (2) or (3) of section 22, by two or more local authorities be co-ordinated in such manner and in relation to such matters as the Minister may specify, and

(c) require a local authority or, as the case may be, two or more local authorities, to F102[revise] (whether by addition or deletion) a waste management plan made by it or them in such manner as the Minister may specify or to replace the plan by a new waste management plan,

and the local authority or authorities shall comply with any such requirement of the Minister.

25.—As soon as may be after a local authority or, as the case may be, two or more local authorities, has or have made, F103[revised] or replaced a waste management plan, the local authority or, as the case may be, one of the local authorities, shall transmit a copy of the plan or F103[revision] or the new plan, as the case may be, to the Minister, the Agency and such other persons as may be prescribed.

26.—(1) The Agency shall, as soon as may be after the commencement of this section, but not later than such date as may be prescribed, make a national plan (in this Act referred to as “the hazardous waste management plan”) with regard to—

(a) the prevention and minimisation of hazardous waste,

(b) the recovery of hazardous waste,

(c) the collection and movement of hazardous waste, and

(d) the disposal of such hazardous waste as cannot be prevented or recovered.

(2) The hazardous waste management plan shall have regard to, and incorporate such information contained in, any waste management plan as the Agency considers appropriate and shall—

(a) describe the type, quantity and origin of hazardous waste arising in the State, the movement of hazardous waste within, into or out of the State, and facilities available for the collection, recovery or disposal of such waste in the State, and such description shall indicate the likely position with respect to each of those matters for such period after the making or review under subsection (3) of the plan as the Agency thinks appropriate;

(b) specify objectives and, where appropriate, targets which in the opinion of the Agency are practicable or desirable in relation to the prevention and minimisation of the production of hazardous waste, the minimisation of the harmful nature of such waste and the recovery or disposal of such waste, over such periods as may be specified;

(c) provide for, as appropriate, the identification of sites at which waste disposal activities, being activities that to a significant extent involved hazardous waste, have been carried on, the assessment of any risk of environmental pollution arising as a result of such activities, the taking or recommendation of measures in order to prevent or limit any such environmental pollution, the identification of necessary remedial measures in respect of such sites, and the recommendation of measures to be taken to achieve such remediation, having regard to the cost-effectiveness of available remediation techniques;

(d) have regard to the need to give effect to the polluter pays principle;

(e) have regard to the need for precaution in relation to the potentially harmful effect of emissions, where there are, in the opinion of the Agency, reasonable grounds for believing that such emissions could cause significant environmental pollution;

(f) make recommendations, as respects the management of hazardous waste, regarding—

(i) priorities, measures or programmes which could be pursued,

(ii) infrastructure, waste facilities or other physical resources considered by the Agency to be necessary throughout the State or in any area of the State,

(iii) the functions of any relevant public authorities;

(g) specify policies which the Agency proposes to pursue, having regard to its functions under this Act or any other enactment.

F104[(3) The Agency shall from time to time as it thinks appropriate, and at least once in each period of 6 years after the date of making of the hazardous waste management plan, evaluate the plan and make such revisions to it, in accordance with Article 9 of the Waste Directive and Regulation 31 of the Regulations of 2011, as it thinks fit and references in this Part to such a plan shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as including references to such a plan as so revised.]

(4) (a) The Agency shall cause to be published in at least one national newspaper—

(i) a notice of its intention to make the hazardous waste management plan,

(ii) where it has carried out a review of that plan and proposes to revise the plan consequent on such a review, a notice of that proposal,

and shall furnish a copy of the plan or, as the case may be, the proposed revision of the plan to the Minister, each local authority and such other persons as may be prescribed.

(b) Subsections (2), (3) and (4) of section 23 shall apply in relation to the hazardous waste management plan and a notice aforesaid as those provisions apply in relation to a waste management plan and a notice under subsection (1) of section 23 with the following and any other necessary modifications, namely—

(i) references in those provisions to a plan and a proposed F105[revision] of a plan shall be construed, respectively, as references to the hazardous waste management plan and a proposed revision of that plan,

(ii) references in those provisions to F105[revising] or replacing a plan shall be construed as references to revising a plan,

(iii) references in those provisions to a local authority shall be construed as references to the Agency.

(5) A Minister of the Government, a local authority and any other public authority in whom are vested functions by or under any enactment in relation to the protection of the environment shall have regard to, and in so far as it is considered by that Minister of the Government, local authority or other public authority to be appropriate to do so, shall take measures to implement or otherwise give effect to, recommendations contained in the hazardous waste management plan.

(6) Without prejudice to subsection (5), the Agency may, having regard to the provisions of the hazardous waste management plan and the functions of local authorities in relation to the management of hazardous waste, make such recommendations to one or more local authorities as the Agency considers appropriate in relation to the effective management by it or them of hazardous waste, and such recommendations shall be regarded as having been issued under and in accordance with section 63 of the Act of 1992.

(7) For the purpose of the making or F106[evaluation] of a hazardous waste management plan by the Agency, it shall be the duty of each local authority and any public authority referred to in subsection (5) to furnish to the Agency, on request being made by the Agency therefor, any relevant information which is available to, or may reasonably be obtained by, the local authority or public authority.

(8) Nothing in this Part shall be construed as requiring the Agency to provide, or assume a direct role in the provision of, any waste facilities, equipment or related resources or as imposing a duty on the Agency owed to any person to identify a site at which a waste disposal activity has been carried on or to do any other thing referred to in subsection (2) (c) in relation to such a site.

(9) Upon the making of the hazardous waste management plan or of any revisions thereto, the Agency shall—

(a) cause to be published in at least one national newspaper a notice of that fact and of the means by which a copy of the plan, as made or revised, may be obtained by members of the public at a cost not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, and

(b) furnish a copy of the plan, as made or revised, to the Minister and each local authority, and any other public authority which in the opinion of the Agency has an interest in the management of hazardous waste.

F107[(10) In this section, “revise”, in relation to the national hazardous waste management plan, includes a review of the plan.]

27.—(1) In this Part—

“deposit and refund scheme” means, in relation to any product, substance, component or packaging, a scheme whereby the producer, distributor or retailer, as the case may be, who operates the scheme requires a purchaser of a product or substance to pay to him or her a refundable deposit in relation to the product or substance or any component thereof or packaging therefor, that is to say a deposit of money the amount of which will be repaid by the producer, distributor or retailer, as the case may be, to the purchaser if the purchaser returns to him or her the product, substance, component or packaging, as the case may be;

“distributor” means a person who sells or supplies a product or substance by wholesale and “distribute” shall be construed accordingly;

“environmental audit” has the same meaning as it has in section 74 of the Act of 1992;

“environmental management system” means a system for managing the carrying on of an activity with regard to its effects on the environment;

“life cycle assessment” means, in relation to a product, an assessment of the effects on the environment of the manufacture, distribution, marketing and use of the product and the recovery or, as appropriate, disposal thereof (including the use of energy and raw materials in, and the production of waste from, any of the said activities);

“producer” includes such person as the Minister may specify by regulations to be a producer for the purposes of this Part (and such specification may include the importer or vendor of the product concerned);

“producer responsibility obligation” means a requirement to take steps for the purpose of the prevention, minimisation, limitation or recovery of waste as respects the class or classes of product to which the requirement relates and may include a requirement to achieve specified targets in relation to those matters;

“waste audit” means an evaluation of the manner in which an activity is carried on with a view to identifying opportunities for—

(a) preventing or minimising the production of waste from the activity or the harmfulness of any waste produced from the activity, and

(b) facilitating the recovery of any waste so produced.

(2) A reference in this Part to the implementation and operation of a waste reduction programme shall be construed as a reference to the taking of steps in a systematic manner for the purpose of—

(a) reducing the production of waste from the activity concerned or the harmfulness of any waste produced from the activity, and

(b) recovering any waste so produced,

having regard to the results of a waste audit conducted in relation to the activity.

27A.— (1) The Minister or any Minister of the Government concerned shall take measures to prevent waste generation. Those measures shall, at least, include those described in Article 9(1) of the Waste Directive.

(2) The Agency shall monitor and assess the implementation of the waste prevention measures referred to in para (1). For that purpose, they shall use appropriate qualitative or quantitative indicators and targets, notably on the quantity of waste that is generated.

(3) The Agency shall monitor and assess the implementation of measures on re-use by measuring re-use on the basis of the common methodology established by the implementing act referred to in Article 9(7) of the Waste Directive as from the first full calendar year after the adoption of that implementing act.

(4) The Agency shall monitor and assess the implementation of national food waste prevention measures by measuring the levels of food waste on the basis of the methodology established by the delegated act referred to in Article 9(8) of the Waste Directive as from the first full calendar year after the adoption of that delegated act.

(5) The public authorities concerned, shall ensure that any supplier of an article as defined in point 33 of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006¹² of the European Parliament and of the Council provides the information pursuant to Article 33(1) of that Regulation to the European Chemicals Agency as from 5 January 2021 using the format(s) and submission tool(s) provided by the European Chemical Agency for that purpose.]

27B.— (1) The Agency shall establish waste prevention programmes setting out at least the waste prevention measures as laid down in Section 27A(1) in accordance with Section 21A and with Article 1 of the Waste Directive.

Such programmes shall be integrated either into the waste management plans required under F110[section 22] or into other environmental policy programmes, as appropriate, or shall function as separate programmes. If any such programme is integrated into the waste management plan or into those other programmes, the waste prevention objectives and measures shall be clearly identified.

(2) When establishing such programmes, the Agency shall, where relevant, describe the contribution of instruments and measures listed in the Sixth Schedule to waste prevention and shall evaluate the usefulness of the examples of measures indicated the First Schedule or other appropriate measures. The programmes shall also describe existing waste prevention measures and their contribution to waste prevention.

(3) The aim of such objectives and measures shall be to break the link between economic growth and the environmental impacts associated with the generation of waste.

(4) The Agency shall adopt specific food waste prevention programmes within their waste prevention programmes.

(5) The Agency shall from time to time as it thinks appropriate, and at least once in each period of 6 years after the date of making of a waste prevention programme, evaluate the plan and make such revisions to it, in accordance with Article 9 of the Waste Directive and Regulation 31 of the Regulations of 2011, as it thinks fit and references in Part II and this Part to such a plan shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as including references to such a plan as so revised.

(6) Upon the establishment of a waste prevention programme or programmes or of any revisions thereto, the Agency shall—

(a) cause to be published in at least one national newspaper a notice of that fact and of the means by which a copy of the plan, as made or revised, may be obtained by members of the public at a cost not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, and

(b) furnish a copy of the plan, as made or revised, to the Minister and each local authority, and any other public authority which in the opinion of the Agency has an interest in the programme or programmes.

(7) In this section, "revise", in relation to a waste prevention programme, includes a review of the programme.]

28.—(1) For the purpose of promoting, supporting or facilitating the prevention or minimisation of waste, any Minister of the Government or a local authority may provide such support or assistance, including the provision of moneys, as he or she or the local authority considers appropriate in relation to research and development projects being carried out, or proposed to be carried out, by any person in respect of the prevention or minimisation of waste, and for the purposes aforesaid may establish programmes and specify criteria and objectives governing the availability and provision of such assistance and support.

(2) (a) A person who carries on any activity of an agricultural, commercial or industrial nature (including the manufacture of any product) shall have due regard to the need to prevent or minimise the production of waste from that activity and, as the case may be, from any product manufactured by him or her as a result of such an activity, and shall take all such reasonable steps as are necessary for the purposes of such prevention or minimisation (including, where appropriate, steps as respects the design of any product aforesaid).

(b) The Minister may by regulations specify steps, as respects any particular activity aforesaid, that shall be regarded as reasonable steps necessary to be taken for the purposes of the prevention or, as the case may be, minimisation of the production of waste referred to in paragraph (a), and a person who carries on such an activity shall take those steps accordingly.

(3) (a) Subject to paragraph (c), the Minister may, after consultation with any Minister of the Government concerned, make regulations for the purpose of preventing, minimising or limiting the production of waste or a specified class or classes of waste, and any such class may be defined by reference to the manufacturing or industrial process or other activity giving rise to the waste concerned or to such other matters as the Minister thinks appropriate.

(b) Subject as aforesaid, regulations under this section may include provisions for the imposition of producer responsibility obligations on producers of products.

(c) Regulations under this section shall only apply to a scheduled activity to such extent as the Minister may determine following consultation with the Agency.

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (3), regulations under this section may provide for all or any of the following matters—

(a) requiring a person, in a specified manner, to conduct a waste audit and implement and operate a waste reduction programme in relation to an activity carried on by him or her,

(b) requiring the keeping of specified documents, records or other particulars, and the furnishing of specified information to specified persons or the publication of specified information, in relation to the conduct of a waste audit or the implementation and operation of a waste reduction programme,

(c) exempting a person from the requirements of regulations under the foregoing paragraphs, as respects a particular activity being carried on by that person, if and for so long as he or she is carrying out a specified environmental audit, or operating a specified environmental management system, in relation to the particular activity,

(d) prohibiting, otherwise than with the consent of a person prescribed for the purpose by regulations under paragraph (e), the display or use of any specified mark or symbol at any premises or on or in any product, substance, packaging, advertisement or notice,

(e) prescribing a person for the purposes of regulations under paragraph (d), the procedures to be followed by such a person in granting any consent under such regulations and enabling him or her to withdraw such a consent in specified circumstances,

(f) without prejudice to paragraph (g), requiring a person to use the F111[best available techniques] for preventing or limiting the production of waste from an activity carried on by the said person,

(g) the specification, by the Minister or such person as may be prescribed for the purpose by the regulations, of the F111[best available techniques] for preventing or limiting the production of waste from an activity carried on by a person specified in regulations under paragraph (f),

(h) requiring the producer of a specified class or classes of product to carry out a life cycle assessment in relation to the product, in such manner or in accordance with such standards or procedures as may be specified,

(i) prohibiting, or limiting or controlling in a specified manner and to a specified extent—

(i) the production or use, in a production process or otherwise, of any substance, material or thing,

(ii) the composition, production, importation, distribution, supply, sale, disposal or advertising of any product or substance, or

(iii) the production of any waste,

(j) specifying requirements to be complied with as respects the design, composition or production of packaging and the use which may be made of packaging, including a requirement—

(i) that the composition, volume or weight of packaging be restricted or limited to such extent as is consistent with its purpose of providing protection for the product or substance concerned,

(ii) that packaging be designed, produced and used so as to be capable of being re-used,

(k) requiring products to be designed, manufactured or constructed in a specified manner or in accordance with such standards as may be prescribed in accordance with regulations under paragraph (l),

(l) enabling a specified person or persons to prescribe standards for the purposes of regulations under paragraph (k),

(m) requiring a producer to prepare and publish, at a specified frequency and in a specified manner—

(i) a plan specifying the steps proposed to be taken by him or her to prevent or minimise the production of waste from any activity of production carried on by him or her or from a product manufactured by him or her, or any component of, or packaging related to, such a product, and

(ii) a report on the steps taken by him or her in pursuance of such a plan and the results of those steps,

(n) requiring the preparation and publication, at a specified frequency and in a specified manner, by a person who is the subject of any specified requirement of regulations under this section (other than a requirement imposed by regulations under paragraph (m)) of—

(i) a plan specifying the steps to be taken by him or her to comply with such a requirement, and

(ii) a report on the steps taken by him or her to comply with such a requirement and the results of those steps,

(o) conferring on public authorities (including the Minister) and other specified persons specified additional functions for the purpose of securing or facilitating the operation of provisions of regulations under this section,

(p) any matters consequential on, or incidental to, the foregoing.

(5) (a) Without prejudice to subsection (3) or section 7 (2), regulations under this section may make provision in relation to persons, products, substances, activities or other matters referred to in this section generally or in relation to a specified class or classes of such persons, products, substances, activities or other matters.

(b) A target an obligation to achieve which is imposed on a person by regulations under this section may be defined in such regulations by reference to a specified proportion (whether by weight, volume or otherwise) of the products, substances or other things to which the obligation relates.

(6) A person who contravenes subsection (2) (b) or a provision of regulations under this section shall be guilty of an offence.

(7) In a prosecution for a contravention of regulations under this section (being a contravention consisting of a failure to achieve a target specified in the regulations), it shall be a good defence to prove that the accused took all reasonable steps to achieve the said target.