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Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The first question is about the letter from the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, stating that as part of the mid-term review there would be a desktop survey of compliance of the storage of farm plastics.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Uncollected farm plastic waste.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: That survey has been done and I am happy to share it with the committee. I have it here and I will send it on through the Chair. Is that all right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: If the Senator likes I will go through some of it. The scheme is currently achieving a 95% collection rate. It is estimated that between 3,000 tonnes and 4,000 tonnes of farm plastic waste is not collected by the scheme annually. This includes an estimate for unlevied product placed on the market. In terms of what happens to this waste, IFFPG can only speculate that a portion of it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I will.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The Senator is right to say the amount of money IFFPG has is the total amount of levies paid in by producers. For the 5% that did not come back, those levies are still in the account. That money is unclaimed. It is unlikely we will reach 100% recycling. That is not the target IFFPG is operating to. When we look at other waste streams in society, we are not achieving 100% anywhere else....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: My assessment from talking to farmers about the scheme is they are generally happy with it and feel it is providing value for money. I feel the IFA is happy with the scheme as well. From the point of view of most of the plastics collected-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The issue faced by the scheme and the whole market is the change in the cost of recycling. There was a time this product had a value. It could be sold into the Chinese market and they would use it for something. The value of farm plastic reduced to the point where people had to pay to have it reprocessed. The economics of the scheme have changed and that means more money has to come into...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I think the Senator is asking about the product awaiting recycling. It has been collected by a contractor, is in a yard and has not yet gone to a processing facility. We do not keep a tally of that. We know each waste collector has a waste collection permit and is allowed to store only a certain quantity of material by that permit. From the information we have, all the yards are now in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: It is important the material is not allowed to build up and does get sent for recycling. Part of the oversight of the body is to make sure it is sending product to recycling centres. I understand nearly half of the product is recycled within Ireland and the rest is exported for recycling. The management of recycling waste is monitored and enforced by local authorities. There are strict...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I am told the mid-term review is in process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The information I have is the mid-term review is under way. The Deputy has said a mid-term review was completed in quarter 1 of 2023. I am not aware of that and my official tells me she is not aware of it. If the Deputy has information on that, I will go back and chase it down.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: There is a body that monitors waste exports.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The estimate I have for this year is 3,500 tonnes of farm plastic are being exported per month. That is more than 40,000 tonnes for the year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: For the latest year I have, 2022, it was 55% of material being exported and 45% was kept within the country.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Farm plastic, yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I will come back to the Deputy with detail on the classification of waste that has been exported in different years.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Sorry, is the Deputy referring to a particular company that reuses farm plastics for wax for candles?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: There is a range of grant schemes. Typically, this type of farm plastic is used for plastic garden furniture, plastic poles and pots and so on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The Deputy asked about a company that was receiving a grant for making-----