Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Environmental Policy

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 June 2022

Tuesday, 28 June 2022

Ceisteanna (144, 145)

Jim O'Callaghan

Ceist:

144. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps that he plans to introduce in order to reduce the amount of single-use plastic that is used in packaging in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33963/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Jim O'Callaghan

Ceist:

145. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the proposals that he believes should be introduced to encourage supermarkets and manufacturers to reduce the amount of single-use plastic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33964/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 145 together.

The Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022 (the Bill) aims to support Ireland’s transition to a circular economy by providing the necessary legislative basis for several key measures including the Circular Economy Strategy, the Circular Economy Programme, the National Food Loss Prevention Roadmap and the Circular Economy Fund.   

The Bill will provide the power to introduce environmental levies on certain single-use disposable items, including single-use disposable cups, containers and packaging, and to prohibit their placing on the market where a suitable re-usable alternative is, or could be made, readily available.  

Amendments to the Bill at Committee Stage provide for the mandatory inclusion in the Circular Economy Strategy of sectoral targets in respect of, inter alia, the retail and packaging sectors. The targets to be set out in respect of a sector must include appropriate targets in respect of reductions in material resource consumption and the use of non-recyclable material; increases in the use of reusable products and materials; increased levels of repair and re-use; or improved maintenance and optimised use of goods, products and materials. The strategy must also set out the actions necessary to meet those targets. I have also agreed to publish a report on how the use of single use packaging used in the sale of fruit and vegetables can be reduced.  

A number of measures aimed at significantly reducing the amount of plastic packaging placed on the Irish market are already in place. The Single Use Plastics Regulations 2021 includes outright bans on specific single-use items, labelling requirements for certain products and the introduction of a number of new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes. 

Also, the Waste Directive Regulations 2020 introduced a new requirement for collective EPR schemes to “eco” modulate the financial contributions paid by producers. The provision incentivises producers to design products that contribute to waste prevention and facilitate recycling by taking into account their durability, reparability, re-usability and their recyclability. Essentially, recyclable packaging incurs lower fees than non-recyclable packaging; penalising non-recyclable composites and over-packaging. Since July 2021, Repak, Ireland’s packaging EPR scheme, is implementing this approach for plastics and will extend to all packaging from next year.    

Barr
Roinn