Waste Enforcement Officer

Description:

The Waste Enforcement Regional Local Authority (WERLA) regional structure was set up in 2015 following a national review of local authority waste enforcement in Ireland. The Southern Region Waste Enforcement Region comprises the following Local Authority areas: - Kerry, Clare, Limerick, Cork County, Cork City, Waterford, Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford.

The WERLAs have responsibility for coordinating waste enforcement actions, setting priorities and common objectives for waste enforcement, ensuring consistent enforcement of waste legislation across the country while still leaving local authority personnel as first responders on the ground for specific breaches of waste legislation.

Following a review of the WERLA structure in 2019 involving the DECC, CCMA and PSROG a decision was made to move to an enhanced structure in each of the three regions with the WERLAs taking a lead role in dealing directly with serious breaches of waste legislation, whilst still leaving local authorities as first responders on waste enforcement issues not considered for WERLA direct action. As part of the enhancement three temporary positions of Executive Waste Enforcement Officers are being established.

A key responsibility will be working with staff from the WERLA Southern Region (SR) in conjunction with the other two WERLAs in preparing an annual work plan to be presented to the WERLA management group, the CCMA, the NWESC and the DECC. The Executive Waste Enforcement Officers will be expected to contribute to setting national priorities and to the preparation of reports on progress to the NWESC and the Department of Environment, Communications and Climate (DECC) on their areas of responsibility.

The Executive Waste Enforcement Officer (WERLA) will be expected to work with the EPA and other enforcement agencies on areas of common interest and in assisting on multi-agency activities. The post holder will be expected to work closely with the Waste Enforcement Teams in all Local Authorities