Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2021
223. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has considered a deposit refund scheme for Ireland; if so, the study and research that has been conducted on the subject; if the impact on the existing kerbside recycling system and the cost to consumers has been considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16809/21]
View answerA report prepared for my Department concluded that a Deposit and Return Scheme (DRS) for plastic bottles is considered to be the only feasible way to achieve the required levels of performance under the Single Use Plastics Directive- due to be transposed by 3 July 2021.The report estimates that the introduction of a DRS might result in a small increase in the costs of collecting domestic waste due to the fact that most of the more valuable materials will no longer be put in domestic bins. However, a DRS will bring added value to these materials by ensuring that the majority of plastic bottles and aluminium cans are recycled properly, with an annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to the value of €1.83m and other air pollutants of €550,00 . The report also estimates that a DRS could reduce the cost of litter disamenity to communities by €95m and reduce littering by 85%.
The roadmap for the introduction of a DRS for plastic bottles and aluminium cans in 2022 was outlined in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy launched last September. Since then a public consultation on the design options for a DRS has been completed and a working group of Department officials and stakeholders has been established to discuss the implementation of the scheme. This group has met on a number of occasions and arising from these discussions a second public consultation focusing on the preferred model and the draft legislative framework for the scheme will be launched shortly.
