Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this pertinent question. The 2020 data that have been published outline that Ireland must transition to a more sustainable circular economy. This is something the Government recognised and actioned before the announcement of these figures. Under the recently published Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022, Ireland will be able to drive behavioural change, provide a financial incentive for alternative treatment options and improve source segregation of our materials to create our circular economy. Proposed regulatory changes include the extension of incentivised pricing to commercial waste and the introduction of a waste recovery levy applying to operations at landfills and incineration plants and to exports of municipal solid waste. We continue to achieve all EU packaging recycling targets for 2020 and the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020 sets out our approach. If one goes back over a 20- to 30-year period, Ireland has made rapid progress but one gets the sense it has stalled a bit. The population is rising. The new legislation will give us the impetus to move forward.

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