This report has, in many ways, reiterated the concerns of the private sector, which, through its representative body the Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA), has outlined a number of measures which need to be addressed in order to create a modern, integrated, competitive and environmentally sound waste management infrastructure.

The measures put forward by the IWMA include the provision of political leadership in co-ordinating the implementation of our various waste plans, as well as accountability in the delivery of these plans. It also calls for an addressing of the market structure in the light of what it sees as a conflict of interest, given that local authorities are both regulators and market players in the waste sector.

Other measures include the delivery of strategic indigenous waste management infrastructure and markets, the serious engagement of the private waste management sector in delivering waste management infrastructure and services, and the exploration and development of opportunities for an all-island waste management market. It also calls for aggressively addressing planning, legal and licensing delays in the waste management sector, and providing equal access to grant aid for both public and private operators in the waste management sector.

"Progress is being made, " said Erik O'Donovan, director of IWMA. "Our recycling rates are on the way up, and according to most recent last EPA National Waste Database, we are moving in the right direction. But while any progress is to be welcomed, there are a number of concerns on the horizon, in the areas of waste generation and management, infrastructural deficit and the implementation mechanisms as they stand at the moment. And while the Forfas report does highlight many of our concerns, we feel that Ireland is always one more report away from doing anything about the problems."

One of the main points of the Forfas report, a point which has previously been made by IWMA, is the continuing lack of proper infrastructure to deal with the increasing demands regarding waste management. According to the report, "fprogress in addressing these infrastructure deficits has been limited, with infrastructure improvements mainly in the area of light infrastructure (recycling and segregation). In its January submission on the NDP, Engineers Ireland highlighted waste management as the area of the NDP where the least progress had been made. The investment target for waste management infrastructure in the NDP was 825m (including 571m on private investment). However, combined government and private investment to the end of 2005 was of the order of 250m."

Erik O'Donovan added that most of this investment had come from the private sector, and this overall lack of investment was a major part of the reason why we currently export about 30% of our municipal waste, and about 70% of our hazardous waste. So what is behind these delays?

"Obviously, there is the regulatory regime in planning, licensing and legal delays, which is part of any democratic process, " he said. "But there are a number of areas which need addressing in order to stimulate further investment from the private sector. For example, the only grant aid available in this sector is solely open to public sector operators.

In addition, only private sector services are open to VAT, giving the public sector a 31m head start. And from a planning perspective, local authority infrastructural proposals go straight to An Bord Pleanala, while private sector applications have to go through a two-stage process. The private sector is not looking for any special treatment . . . we are just looking to be able to compete on a level playing field."

O'Donovan believes that, in addition to addressing the market situation, progress cannot be made until the fragmented approach to waste management is made more homogenous.

"We need more political leadership in the co-ordination of planning, " he said.

"We currently have 10 regional plans and two national plans (one dealing with hazardous waste and one dealing with biodegradable waste). These are all concerned with waste. And while we are not calling for these plans to be thrown out, we are calling for better co-ordination of these plans. Because Ireland has been set a number of targets which we must meet, so whether it is from a social and economic point of view, from an industrial point of view or from an international obligations point of view, these targets are real, they are pressing and the do present challenges which must be overcome."

Still, the fact that we are moving in the right direction is down to a greater emphasis on waste management than we have ever had before. This progress is exemplified by the measures put in place by Dublin City Council, which, along with the other Dublin Local Authorities, has adopted a modern integrated approach to the changing environment in waste management. The introduction of a kerbside green bin collection diverts more than 55,000 tonnes of recyclable