Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The first question was about what shape the targets will take. When I look at the existing targets there are a lot of recycling targets but just about no reuse targets. I was looking at the waste electrical and electronic equipment, WEEE, scheme rules, which are due for update this year. The WEEE scheme, as the Deputy knows, is for bringing back electronics to retailers and so on. There is no reference to reuse in those scheme rules. We will be updating them this year, however, and I expect reuse will go into that update. In the past, there have been public procurement guidelines that have suggested not using reused products on the basis that they might not be trustworthy. I am addressing those matters one by one, as I find them, and that is a challenge.

The Deputy asked when the targets will be published. They will be published later this year as part of the updated circular economy strategy. The Deputy asked me to give a shape to the targets. I am not quite sure what he means by that. We are still working on the issue so we are not there yet.