Louth County Council is set to become the first local authority in the country to make management companies that own apartment complexes legally obliged to provide segregated waste facilities and recycling facilities for tenants.
The provision is part of a comprehensive set of waste by-laws that the council this week approved to go on public display.
The by-laws will make it illegal for commercial outlets to use bring banks to recycle packaging and other materials when they should be meeting their own obligations under the Waste Management Act 1996.
According to the council's director of corporate services, Mr Joe McGuinness, a fundamental objective is to maximise recycling.
"These by-laws will run in tandem with permits issued to refuse contractors under the Waste Collection Regulations. They therefore aspire to achieve the objectives of the North-East Waste Management Plan."
Mr McGuinness said there was a significant problem with apartment complexes and that the proposals would improve the situation for inhabitants.
"In future, the storage of waste in stairwells or footwells will be prohibited and management companies will be obliged to provide a segregated service only available to their tenants," he said.
The by-laws will prohibit householders and the owners of shops and commercial premises from storing wheelie bins on public paths or roads.
The by-laws provide for on-the-spot fines of €125 or district court fines of up to €3,000.