Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 July 2020
68. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which he expects Ireland should proceed in respect of waste management, whether by combination of landfill and reduction or by other means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16205/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraEuropean, national and regional waste management policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in Article 4 of the 2008 Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), whereby the prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling and other recovery of waste are preferred options to the disposal or landfilling of waste. 26% of managed municipal waste (by weight) was sent to landfill in 2016 compared to 41% in 2012 and 92% in 1995. Furthermore, 74% of managed municipal waste was recovered in 2016 (compared to 59% in 2012). Significantly more residual waste is now used as a fuel (energy recovery) than disposed to landfill. Further information is available at http://www.epa.ie/nationalwastestatistics/municipal/.
New waste management targets in the Landfill Directive require Member States to reduce the amount of municipal waste going to landfill to 10% or less of the total amount of municipal waste generated (by weight) by 2035. In addition, amendments to the Waste Framework Directive require that recycling rates of 55%, 60% and 65% of municipal waste (by weight) must be achieved by 2025, 2030 and 2035 respectively.
In line with the Programme for Government commitment, I will soon be bringing forward an ambitious new waste policy which will include a range of measures to reform and strengthen waste management with a greater focus on prevention through product design and consumer choice. The new waste policy will ensure that we continue to meet our European targets for waste and will reflect the level of ambition in the waste and climate areas at EU level, including the range of actions proposed in the European Green Deal, which was published in December 2019. It will set out a range of objectives and targets for the State and the measures by which to achieve them.
