New food waste bill seeks to catch all

Mamia First Infant Milk €8.99

Under new legislation, retailers who produce over 50kg of food waste per week will be subject to increased demands in their food waste management processes.

Print

Print

News

The introduction of the Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 508 of 2009) will mean that retailers and supermarkets who produce more than 50kg of food waste per week will be subject to increased demands in terms of their food waste management processes.

The Regulations came into force on January 1st 2010 but will not have practical application until July 1st this year and will apply to all premises producing 50kg of food waste per week. However, from July 1st 2011, all scheduled premises will be covered by the legislation irrespective of the amount of food waste produced. Retail outlets producing less than the 50kg per week must claim an exemption in writing before the 1st of July this year. So in essence what the Department is saying is that every store is included until such time as it applies for its derogation. What will happen to stores who do not apply for the derogation is as yet unknown.

Director General of RGDATA Tara Buckley said that she and her members are once again surprised and frustrated that no consultation was entered into before the regulations were introduced. “Consultation with the key people involved would have resulted in a much smoother introduction of the regulations and a fairer deal for retailers,” said Buckley.

Buckley said that most of her small to medium sized store members would come in under the 50kg limit. “Retailers are already on top of this, it is not in their interest to have lots of food waste and they work really hard to minimise the amounts of waste they produce. The larger stores are already segregating their waste and have the systems in place for collection”. 

Related Articles

Milish Bakery secures multi-million euro deal with M&S →

Powerscourt Distillery announces return of “Spirit of Wicklow” Awards →

Fuel prices hit 2024 peaks – in AA Ireland →

Young talent take to the field at the Aviva Stadium →