Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
57. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will consider promoting a scheme to have on-street compostable bins put in place as the value of compostable beverage cups is being lost when they go into the normal litter stream for incineration. [1493/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile the provision of such on-street infrastructure is primarily a matter for Local Authorities I am determined to address the issue of waste arising from this source.
A central theme of the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy which I launched last September was to promote behavioural change to prevent waste arising in the first instance thus promoting the concept of a zero-waste future. In this regard the plan contains specific measures for dealing with the 22,000 coffee cups that are disposed of daily in Ireland. Over the lifetime of the plan, and working with a range of stakeholders, we will seek to eliminate this particular waste stream through a number of specific actions including:
- introducing a levy on single use coffee cups,
- trialling their elimination entirely in selected towns, Higher Education Institutions and other transport and commercial centres,
- introducing measures to ban their unnecessary use (eg. in sit-in locations) and obliging retailers to give a price reduction to consumers who use reusable cups,
- an eventual full ban on single-use disposable cups, including those made from compostable materials.
