Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 June 2021
194. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the measures taken by his Department to ensure waste is recycled in an environmentally friendly method when exported from Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29820/21]
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Dublin City Council is designated as the National Competent Authority for the export, import and transit of waste shipments under S.I. No. 419 of 2007 Waste Management (Shipments of Waste) Regulations, 2007. These Regulations give effect to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1013/2006 on transfrontier shipments of waste, which sets out notification procedures, specifies waste listings and strengthens enforcement provisions in relation to waste movements within, into and out of the European Union. The Waste Shipment Regulation is also the legislative instrument that implements the EUs obligations under related international conventions, including the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste, to which Ireland is a signatory. Provisions of the Waste Shipment Regulation require that all exports of waste from the European Union “destined for disposal shall be prohibited’. Similarly, in terms of meeting our EU waste reduction targets, S.I. No. 323/2020 - European Union (Waste Directive) Regulations 2020 provides that waste collected in Ireland and exported to another EU Member State for the purposes of preparing for re-use, recycling or backfilling in that other Member State may be counted towards the attainment of the targets in Ireland. Waste exported from the European Union may also be counted towards the attainment of national targets, providing that the exporter can prove that the shipped waste is treated in equivalent conditions to that required in the European Union. It is therefore important for Ireland to ensure that exported waste is appropriately accounted for. The enforcement and monitoring of shipments of waste to and from Ireland is maintained by the National Transfrontier Shipments Office (NTFSO) within Dublin City Council, which monitors and enforces these requirements and maintains statistics and information on shipments of waste to and from Ireland.
