John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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1469. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will consider the introduction of a container deposit scheme whereby the return of recyclable beverage containers is compensated in order to encourage recycling and reduce beverage container litter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1919/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Repak is the approved producer responsibility compliance scheme for packaging in Ireland and is tasked with meeting recovery and recycling targets established under the EU Packaging Directive (94/62/EC). The most recent Waste Packaging Statistics for Ireland published by the EPA in May 2016 show that that Ireland has met and exceeded the overall packaging waste recovery rate and the recycling rate targets since they came into force.

In July 2014, the then Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government published a Review of the Producer Responsibility Initiative Model in Ireland. The aim of the review was to assess the nature and level of the challenges which are currently facing the existing Producer Responsibility Agreements, as well as the forthcoming challenges that are expected to arise in the management of various waste streams. A stakeholder consultation process was also conducted.

As part of this review, a wider examination of issues within the packaging sphere was undertaken  and consideration was given to  the introduction of a bring back scheme for waste, including beverage containers. The review was asked to consider:

(i) an economic analysis of the possible effects of a packaging levy,

(ii) options on how a possible packaging levy might operate,

(iii) possible alternatives to a packaging levy which would yield corresponding reductions in packaging,

(iv) how a packaging levy might work in tandem with and affect the operation of the compliance schemes, and

(v) an examination of packaging reduction initiatives such as deposit and refund and reverse vending.

The review report did not recommend the introduction of a Deposit and Refund scheme and concluded that to establish such a scheme was inappropriate, in view of the operation of the existing packaging scheme (operated by Repak), and policies concerning household waste collection, plus the high administrative costs of introducing such a system.  It is also conceivable that littering could occur where waste bins might be searched for items attracting a refund under any such scheme.

In addition, the review did not recommend the introduction of a packaging levy. The main reason for this decision was that the introduction of a packaging levy was likely to generate a number of regulatory costs to business and the public sector with few identifiable benefits, given Ireland’s very successful packaging recovery and recycling performance to date.

The review report is available at the following link: .