Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 February 2022
200. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the extent to which plastic reduction measures have been successful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10780/22]
View answerPlastic is a valuable material in modern society however when it is not properly managed, it can have serious negative effects on the environment and human health. In 2017, the impact of plastics rose to a new level of prominence following David Attenborough’s “Blue Planet” series. Since then, there have been significant developments in plastics policy both in Ireland and at EU level, most notably the EU’s Plastic Strategy, 2018 and Single Use Plastics Directive, 2019 as well as Ireland’s Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, 2020. Measuring the impact of these policies is key to success.
Ireland transposed the SUP (Single Use Plastic) Directive last year. It banned a range of single-use items from July 2021. Further measures will be introduced this year and in coming years which will significantly reduce the impact of SUP items in use, including:
- A Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans which will be introduced later this year;
- Measures to reduce disposable beverage cups and food containers; starting with the introduction of a so-called ‘latte levy’; and
- A number of new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for tobacco products, balloons, wet wipes and fishing gear.New data collection arrangements to capture the volume of SUPs placed on the market and disposed of at end of life take effect this year. The outputs from this will provide essential insights into the success or otherwise of the reduction measures in place and will be used to inform the design of future interventions.
