AQW 16884/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 25/03/2021
Answered On Date: 01/04/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether he has any plans to implement a statutory ban on the burning of domestic garden waste.

Answer:

In Northern Ireland, we already have a comprehensive collection system for compostable waste (garden and food waste). My Department actively encourages these resources to be moved up the waste hierarchy through the promotion of recycling of compostable biodegradable waste. In 2019/2020 almost 235,000 tonnes of this type of waste was sent for composting.

My Department has recently put efforts into encouraging more home composting too, particularly during the height of the pandemic when Council resources were stretched and more people where spending time at home.

Local councils already have the authority to deal with issues regarding burning rubbish in domestic properties. They can investigate complaints such as garden bonfires or burning of waste that is regular and causes repeated smoke nuisance at any other property. If the Council is satisfied that the smoke is causing a nuisance it can serve an Abatement Notice on the person responsible requiring them to reduce or cease the burning. This can be enforced by the local councils under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.

Therefore I do not see a need for me to introduce a ban on burning of domestic/garden waste.