Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2017
241. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to introduce legislation to ensure producers of plastic packaging for food goods use recyclable packaging material; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45235/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EU Packaging Directive is transposed in Ireland by the European Union (Packaging) Regulations 2014. Article 18 of the Packaging Directive states the following: “Member States shall not impede the placing on the market of their territory of packaging which satisfies the provisions of this Directive”.
Therefore, I am not in a position to introduce the type of legislation suggested by the Deputy.
However, we are tackling this waste stream at a national level. Repak is the approved producer responsibility compliance scheme for packaging in Ireland and is tasked with meeting recovery and recycling targets established under the EU Packaging Directive. Repak members pay fees based on the amount of packaging they place on the market and this incentivises them to reduce packaging.
A lot of work has been done by Repak members to prevent and minimise the amount of packaging they require. With the assistance of the EPA, Repak’s Prevent and Save initiative funded under the National Waste Prevention Programme, has worked with Irish business to reduce packaging and to promote packaging improvements across industry. Under the initiative, specialist packaging technologists look for ways to optimise the packaging used and to minimise any resulting packaging waste. Further information can be found on www.repak.ie/preventandsave.
In accordance with the Packaging Directive, at least 60% of packaging waste must be recovered and 55% must be recycled. The most recent Waste Packaging Statistics for Ireland published by the EPA in August 2017 show that Ireland has met and exceeded the overall packaging waste recovery rate and the recycling rate targets since they came into force.
In addition, under the EU’s Circular Economy Package, the Commission published a Strategy on Plastics in a Circular Economy. Plastic is one of the five priority areas addressed in the strategy and my Department will continue to engage on this matter at EU level.
