Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 October 2019
513. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the progress of an announced plan to introduce a nationwide ban on single use plastics; if a policy has been developed; if so, when it will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41636/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra514. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the specific measures contained within a plan to introduce a nationwide ban on single use plastics that are additional to measures contained within the 2018/0172 (COD); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41637/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra534. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to introduce a smoky coal or single use plastic ban into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42293/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 513, 514 and 534 together.
We are committed to leading the way in reducing single use plastics and are working both at a national and European level to tackle the problem. The Government has:
- Agreed that Government departments and bodies will no longer purchase single-use plastic cups, cutlery and straws
- Strongly supported new EU legislation on Single-use Plastic (SUP), which will ban straws, cotton bud sticks made from plastic, plastic plates and cutlery, plastic coffee stirrers and plastic balloon holders
- Committed to a 90% plastic bottle collection target and a 55% plastic recycling target
- Commenced a clean oceans initiative to collect, reduce and reuse marine litter and clean up our marine environment (by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
- Commissioned a review to establish the best way to reach a 90% collection target for beverage containers, after which the Minister will announce the necessary actions
- Introduced a new law to ban microbeads (by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government)
Further consideration of measures to tackle single use plastics will be undertaken in the context of developing a Circular Economy Strategy. I launched the stakeholder consultation on developing the new strategy on 16 September 2019.
In relation to a ban on smoky coal, I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question [39537/19] of 1 October 2019. The position is unchanged.
