Local Authority Prevention Demonstration (LAPD) Programme

A national initiative to promote waste prevention through local authorities has been launched by Mr Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government. The Local Authority Prevention Demonstration (LAPD) Programme will not only prevent waste being generated in participating businesses and sectors, its findings will provide a template for other waste prevention projects nationwide.

The LAPD Programme will be implemented in the Galway, Monaghan and Limerick-Clare-Kerry regions by seven participating local authorities. A total of €1,250,000 will be spent in supporting local programmes over the next 30 months. The funding comes from the Environment Fund and is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency - via its National Waste Prevention Programme.

The aim of the Programme is to assist local authorities in designing and implementing local 'integrated waste prevention programmes'. These integrated programmes will -

Commenting at the launch, Dr Padraic Larkin, Director, EPA said - "Waste prevention is gaining momentum in Ireland and represents the next step in the waste hierarchy from the now routine recycling. It means finding ways to reduce or minimise waste and, ideally, to eliminate it. Prevention is a long-term proposition and research and demonstration programmes - such as the LAPD Programme - will support its implementation in Ireland.

"The LAPD Programme will involve households, communities, contractors, local industry, commercial enterprises and school children. It will only be through the sharing of experiences gained by these groups that real change in attitudes to waste can be achieved."

Details of the LAPD Programme
The seven local authorities selected for Phase 1 of the LAPD Programme are grouped as follows -

• Galway County and City Councils
• Limerick/Clare/Kerry Region (Limerick City and County Councils, Clare and Kerry County Councils)
• Monaghan County Council.

Each local authority will receive expert technical support and assistance from the Clean Technology Centre (at Cork IT) and the EPA for the duration of the Programme. Results and achievements of the Programme will be publicised. It is hoped that, the open sharing of all knowledge and the demonstration of what works, will encourage other local authorities to confidently initiate local prevention programmes.

Dr Larkin said - "The EPA is delighted with the programmes put forward by the seven local authorities involved.The success of the Race Against Waste programme in its work with communities and small businesses has shown the importance of reaching out to the grassroots in a practical sense. My hope is that the LAPD Programme will build capacity at local level and continue the successes achieved to date."

Benefits for participating local authorities
The LAPD Programme provides an opportunity for participating local authorities to -

• avail of significant funding to deliver on initiatives identified in waste management plans;
• lead the field in innovative waste prevention practices;
• gain recognition as being progressive and innovative;
• develop expertise in-house;
• work with national and international experts and learn from them - and
• do all this in an economically advantageous way.

Summary of projects to be grant-aided

LAPD Programme - an initiative of the National Waste Prevention Programme
The LAPD Programme is one of a range of initiatives being undertaken under the umbrella of the National Waste Prevention Programme. It is funded wholly from the Environment Fund and is implemented by the EPA. Further information regarding the LAPD Programme is available on the new one-stop-shop waste pages of the EPA website - Click Here

Objectives of the LAPD Programme
The long-term objective of the LAPD Programme is to create self-sustaining capacity within local authorities to promote and bring about waste prevention in their areas. All local authorities are obliged to achieve this goal in line with waste management planning guidelines published by Government. Waste prevention is a relatively new concept and requires a non-traditional approach to waste management - that is, it does not involve the management of a waste, per se, but its elimination or reduction or minimisation.

It is hoped that the LAPD Programme will assist local authorities to overcome the two principal barriers to promoting waste prevention -

1. a lack of capacity and in-house expertise - and
2. a lack of resources, brought about by a lack of funding for staff appointments.

In the first instance, the LAPD Programme will provide national experts in waste prevention from the Clean Technology Centre to advise both the EPA and participating local authorities on waste prevention techniques and programme construction. In the second, direct grant-aid to local authorities (up to 75% of the cost of individual projects) will enable local authorities to appoint dedicated staff to liaise with local communities and industry and influence them for change.

How the participating local authorities were chosen
In November 2005, all local authorities were invited to express an interest in participating in Phase 1 of the LAPD Programme, which will run for a period of 30 months. A total of 14 applications were received - representing 22 local authorities (three joint/regional applications were made). A national and international review committee selected the three programmes mentioned above and all three accepted an invitation to further develop their proposals and design an integrated waste prevention programme for their area.

Sharing results
Participants will provide six-monthly reports with details of project progress. Project progress and results will be presented at annual conferences for other local authorities. Subsequent phases of the LAPD Programme are being planned and will learn from the research to be carried out under Phase 1.