Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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35. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the percentage of municipal waste now recycled; and his plans to reduce the volume produced. [37475/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Ireland has met, or is on course to meet, all of its main targets under the Waste Framework Directive, the Landfill Directive, the Batteries Directive, the WEEE Directive, and the Packaging Directive. Moreover, the National Waste Report 2012, which sets out the latest annual data and which is available on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, , indicates that 40% of municipal waste was recycled in 2012: this compares with a 20.7% recycling rate ten years previously in 2002. The report further highlights the fact that municipal solid waste (MSW) generation has decreased in the period 2006 to 2012, while the recovery of MSW generated has increased over the same period.

Government waste policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in the Waste Framework Directive and seeks to minimise the generation of waste. A number of specific measures have been, and will continue to be, introduced to reduce the volume of waste generated in the State in line with Government policy. Recent examples include the further roll-out of food waste collection services, and the introduction of three Regional Waste Management Plans in May 2015 which have a clear focus on waste prevention and resource efficiency. The introduction of pay by weight as a collection permit condition as of 1 July 2015 and the forthcoming introduction of mandatory pay by weight charging for household waste in July 2016 and for commercial waste later in 2016 will be a game changer, providing clear pricing incentives to households and businesses to prevent and segregate their waste to the greatest possible extent.

Towards a Resource Efficient Ireland- A National Strategy to 2020,available at , incorporates Ireland’s National Waste Prevention Programme and sets out priorities for preventing waste generation and the unnecessary consumption of materials, energy and water. The title of this document reflects the shift in emphasis at national and EU level towards resource efficiency, as opposed to focussing purely on waste prevention. In this regard, I intend to publish a consultation paper shortly on how the State can best maximise the value we extract from the waste we cannot prevent, especially in terms of maximising the job creation and energy potential of waste,while minimising our impact on the environment.

The above measures are among the many actions being undertaken to ensure that Ireland will be well positioned to meet the requirements of the new European Commission proposal on the Circular Economy, which is expected to be published in December 2015.