Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 699: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government further to the raising of the matter in Dáil Éireann by this Deputy, if there are plans in the near future to tackle the growing litter problem by introducing a refundable deposit on beverage bottles and cans, as is the case in many European countries and US states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24045/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste is based on the concept of producer responsibility, which effectively requires producers to contribute to the waste management costs of products which they have placed on the market at end-of-life. Under the directive, Ireland was required to achieve a 25% recovery rate of packaging waste by 1 July 2001, increasing to a 50% recovery rate by 31 December 2005. Practical implementation of the directive in Ireland is organised mainly through a collective industry-based compliance scheme operated by Repak Limited which is working successfully and in 2001 met the target of 25% packaging waste recycling required by the directive.

The latest indications are that Ireland is on course to meet the higher recovery and recycling targets specified for end 2005. The EPA has reported in its national waste database interim report for 2003, published in December 2004, that packaging waste recovery increased to 44% in that year, up from 35% in 2002. Given that these arrangements are achieving the desired result in meeting the recovery targets, the introduction of deposit and refund schemes for beverage containers is not under consideration.