Directive 94/62/EC (as amended) on Packaging and Packaging Waste required Ireland to achieve recovery rates of 25% or more for packaging by 30 June 2001, 50% or more by 31 December 2005 and 60% by 31 December 2011. Repak Limited was established in 1997 as a not for profit organisation as the collective industry response to the need to meet Ireland's packaging waste recovery and recycling targets through promoting, co-ordinating and financing the collection and recovery of packaging waste. Repak operates as a packaging compliance scheme on the basis of an approval granted by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
Repak members pay a fee based on the nature and quantity of packaging which they place on the market. Repak's membership fees fund subsidies for each tonne of packaging waste recovered from commercial sources (e.g. backdoor waste from factories, shops) and from the post-consumer waste streams (green kerbside bins, civic amenity sites and bottle banks). This subsidy has been a vital incentive for household recycling in particular as it has enabled waste collectors to provide green bins at low or no cost to customers, thereby encouraging recycling and enabling Ireland to meet its EU targets. Repak does not provide subsidies for general household waste collection. As the packaging waste recovery subsidy is funded by industry to meet their requirements under the packaging Directive, it could also not be deemed to represent State aid.
The National Waste Report 2010 reported that Ireland is currently achieving a recovery rate of 74% of packaging waste, substantially exceeding the current EU Directive target of 60%. With regard to household waste, the Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce competitive tendering for household waste collection, under which service providers would bid to provide waste collection services in a given area, for a given period of time and to a guaranteed level of service.
A public consultation designed to inform the policy development process concluded in September 2011. A large number of responses were received from a broad spectrum of interests. A consensus is not apparent and, on almost all of the relevant issues, a considerable breadth of opinion was expressed. All of the responses received, in addition to a summary document, are available on my Department's website, www.environ.ie.
I expect to be in a position to submit final proposals in relation to household waste collection to Government by Easter this year. All policy proposals will be carefully considered by Government and will take account of the full range of issues and perspectives, including the issue of waiver schemes intended to support low income households.