Lack of development of indigenous (waste) infrastructure in Northern Ireland could lead to a 'waste crisis' writes arc21 chief executive

Writing a platform article for the Pivotal Public Policy Forum, Tim Walker chief executive of Northern Ireland public waste management body arc21, which represents six Northern Ireland councils, has warned about the risks of continued inaction in delivering much needed waste infrastructure to advancing the circular economy in Northern Ireland and mitigating climate change.

In the article Tim Walker who also is the current Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) President wrote: “The opportunities to advance a circular economy and prepare to deliver the climate change act targets are being damaged.

"I’d previously called out this lack of development of indigenous infrastructure as a “waste crisis”, not unlike that relating to new water and wastewater infrastructure. For now, we’ve managed to implement short–term arrangements with local contractors.

"This situation, combined with what’s happening in Lough Neagh and more widely, does little for Northern Ireland’s reputation as a custodian of the environment. The ongoing saga of the Mobuoy illegal landfilling scandal which, although identified in 2013, has not yet been resolved provides a salutary lesson on the need to ensure that properly regulated infrastructure is in place to control and manage our waste.”

He continued: “There is no doubt that the challenges ahead mean we have now reached a junction where a choice needs to be made. There is significant pressure on our councils to comply with recycling and other environmental and public health imperatives, which could be met by developing local infrastructure in line with the environmental principles of proximity and self–sufficiency.

"Alternatively, we can continue to limit our ambition and rely upon exporting materials overseas where it is out of sight and out of mind but where it risks undermining our reputation as a green and pleasant land.

“Waste management has long been the Cinderella of Northern Ireland’s infrastructure. But, as per elsewhere in the UK, it is critical that we invest in facilities if we want to develop a modern and progressive economy. We have an important choice to make.”

Responding to the article, Colin O’Hanlon from leading European waste management company Indaver which is supporting arc21’s efforts to deliver modern waste infrastructure to meet the needs of its council members said: “We need to heed the warnings as articulated clearly by arc21 in this article. Northern Ireland's approach to waste management is increasingly precarious, and continued inaction on delivering local waste infrastructure means we are nearing a tipping point where we risk adding a waste crisis to our existing wastewater crisis.

“Climate change and circular economy targets mean we can no longer send our residual (black bin), largely non-recyclable waste, to landfill. Nor is it a sustainable long-term solution to rely on volatile export markets and other jurisdictions, to manage our waste, especially in these turbulent geopolitical times. You only need look at the recent impact of bin strikes in Birmingham, where within days, waste piled up on the streets, to see just how precarious, certain waste management systems are.

“In 2023 for example, NI exported over 280,000 tonnes of residual waste, as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to be processed at European energy-from-waste plants. This figure has more than doubled since 2020 and will continue to rise without local waste infrastructure.

“This points to chronic under-capacity in the Northern Ireland waste management sector, and we are lagging significantly behind the rest of the UK and Europe in adopting modern infrastructure, necessary to address this growing challenge. Failure to address this issue will have significant financial, environmental, and reputational consequences.

“The good news is that unlike the wastewater crisis, however, there is a ready-made solution waiting to be implemented. That solution is the £250 million arc21 residual waste project, which presents an opportunity to showcase how private-sector investment delivered via Indaver can drive public benefit, deliver long-term value and leave a valuable asset in public ownership.

"The project simply requires a robust and evidence-based planning decision from the Minister for Infrastructure which will allow it to progress to the next stage of procurement where a business case evaluation will trigger a democratic decision by the arc21 councils to decide if it progresses.”

You can read the full Pivotal article from Tim Walker on their website here:

https://www.pivotalppf.org/our-work/pivotal-platform/149/managing-northern-irelands-waste-choices