30.—(1) (a) The Minister shall, as soon as may be after the commencement of this section, promulgate a programme with regard to the prevention, minimisation and recovery of waste arising from the performance by public authorities of their functions.

(b) A programme under this subsection may deal with such class or classes of waste, or apply to such class or classes of public authorities, as the Minister may consider appropriate.

(2) The Minister shall review from time to time as he or she thinks appropriate a programme under subsection (1) and make such revisions thereto as he or she thinks fit.

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), a programme under that subsection may include—

(a) specific objectives in relation to different types of waste,

(b) measures for the co-ordination of steps being taken or proposed to be taken by public authorities in relation to the prevention, minimisation and recovery of waste,

(c) proposals for the regulation pursuant to powers under this Act or any other enactment of activities carried on for the prevention, minimisation and recovery of waste.

(4) For the purpose of a programme under subsection (1), the Minister shall publish guidelines and criteria in relation to the prevention, minimisation and recovery of waste, to which public authorities shall have regard in the performance of their functions, and such guidelines and criteria may include provision for all or any of the following matters—

(a) consideration being given by public authorities to the likely effects on the environment of particular goods or services they propose to purchase or engage,

(b) objectives with regard to the use by public authorities of materials recovered from waste,

(c) the conduct by public authorities of waste audits and the implementation and operation by them of waste reduction programmes and the publication of the results of such audits and programmes,

(d) the making by public authorities of plans (“public authority waste management plans”), specifying appropriate measures to facilitate, and objectives with regard to, the prevention, minimisation and recovery of waste by them,

(e) the content, publication, implementation and review of public authority waste management plans,

(f) the preparation and publication by public authorities of reports on the implementation by them of their respective public authority waste management plans and their compliance generally with guidelines and criteria published under this subsection.