Businesses must soon use bins for organic waste

New regulations which will effectively require commercial premises to have an additional brown bin for biodegradable waste are to be signed within weeks by Minister for the Environment John Gormley, writes Tim O’Brien .

While the regulations are in response to an EU directive on the diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill, Mr Gormley said their introduction would also “underline the complete financial folly” of incineration.

Commercial businesses such as restaurants, food suppliers such as fruit and vegetable dealers and even landscape gardeners will have until next July to stop putting out biodegradable waste in their “black bins”, which go to landfill.

For the vast majority this will mean acquiring brown bins which will take biodegradable and organic waste, mainly for composting. The move will bring to three the number of bins many businesses will be required to operate.