Receipts remitted to my Department by the Revenue Commissioners in respect of the plastic bag levy amount to just under €6.89 million to date. Just over €11 million has also been received in respect of the landfill levy.
Revenues from these levies are paid into the environment fund, which may be used to support a wide range of waste management and other environmental initiatives, set out in section 74(9) of the Waste Management Act, 1996, as inserted by section 12 of the Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001.
The start-up costs incurred by the Revenue Commissioners relating to the introduction of the plastic bag levy together with the cost of the public information campaign undertaken by my Department, amounting to approximately €1.56 million, have been paid from the plastic bag levy receipts.
Funding allocated or paid to local authorities from the environment fund to date totals €14.317 million and is set out in the following table: