Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question and for telling me the committee supports the circular economy. Sometimes, circular economy actions are seen as either banning or attracting things rather than presenting a positive opportunity for business. I am happy to be here today because it is a new emerging sector. Many of the jobs and much of the investment will be very local, spread around the country. I want to talk about the community schemes the Deputy mentioned. She mentioned Liberty Recycling, for example. The Sunflower Recycling project, off the North Strand, is a similar one that she may have heard of.

We have a circular economy innovation grant scheme. To get businesses and the public to move towards a circular economy, we need to have incentives, information and education. We need positive things to help people to get from A to B. The way the circular economy Act was structured last year was such that there would be levies on various things, such as plastic bags, landfilling and burning waste through incineration, and that the money would go into a circular economy fund. This fund has been set up only recently. The idea is that the money would be ring-fenced, taken out of the Exchequer and spent only on things that support the circular economy, such as a community scheme.

The circular economy innovation grant scheme, which is what has been running up to now, will be revised now that there is more funding behind it. It typically funds smaller, community-based grant schemes. The typical level of funding is €50,000 to €100,000. The scheme has funded a range of projects around the country, typically community based and not for profit. It has funded projects on the Aran Islands and in the inner city. There certainly has been a good geographic spread. The grants have certainly not been focused on money-making activities; rather, they have been focused on community areas.

The Enterprise Ireland scheme is more focused on the bottom line, business expansion and so on, but our circular economy innovation grant scheme is more focused on the community and non-profit sector.