Businesses urged to recycle or face tough penalties

Recycle drive: Gary Brady, managing director of Thorntons Recycling with John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and Paul Thornton, director of Thorntons Recycling

New regulations mean businesses can no longer dispose of food waste through a macerator into the sewer system where a brown bin service is available

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Irish businesses need to implement proper procedures for the separation, disposal and recycling of food waste, or face hefty fines and even imprisonment, warned Gary Brady, managing director of Thorntons Recycling. Speaking at an ‘Ask the Expert’ event, attended by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley, Brady outlined how the introduction of new Irish food waste regulations has impacted on Irish businesses, in particular those operating in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Since the start of this month, new food waste regulations oblige all major producers of food waste, such as restaurants and cafés, hot food outlets, canteens, hotels and larger guesthouses, supermarkets and other food retailers to segregate food materials from other waste and make them available for a separate brown bin collection service.

“The owners of the premises as well as the tenant is liable if the regulations are breached and face a maximum fine of €3,000 at District Court or 12 months in prison or both,” said Brady.

“Under the legislation, producers of food waste can implement onsite treatment, for example composting, but will need a Certificate of Registration from their Local Authority for such a process. Critically, food waste can no longer be disposed of through a macerator into the sewer system where there is a brown bin service available.  Many larger companies have invested in macerators and will now need to disable this system,” he said.

According to Brady, Thornton’s has been receiving a lot of enquiries from concerned business owners wondering how they are supposed to meet the new regulations in the absence of such a service. “We provide a service which ensures compliance with the new regulations; however County Councils must also step up to the plate in enforcing the new regulations”.

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