Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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453. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if consideration has been given by his Department to the incentive that a for-profit waste collection system creates in that there is no financial gain for waste companies to encourage recycling or waste reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40427/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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My role as Minister is to provide a comprehensive legislative and waste policy framework through which the relevant regulatory bodies, such as the local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency, operate. The waste collection system is subject to a number of regulatory controls, including the Waste Management Act, 1996 as amended and the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations, 2007, S.I. No. 820 of 2007, as amended.

European, national and regional waste policy are all predicated on the management of waste in line with the waste hierarchy, whereby the prevention, preparation for re-use, recycling and other recovery of waste are preferred (in that order) to the disposal of waste. Collectors of waste must conduct their activities in accordance with the relevant legislation and the conditions of their waste collection permits which require that waste is managed in line with the waste hierarchy. Enforcement of waste collection permit conditions is a matter for the relevant local authority.  

The Government's policy of increasing the landfill levy to its current level of €75 per tonne has provided a real financial incentive for operators to divert as much material as possible from being disposed of at landfill. The application of this economic instrument has ensured that it is in the financial interest of collectors, who are competing for market share, to encourage effective recycling in an effort to minimise costs for operators and customers alike.

The success of the above policy and legislative measures to encourage waste prevention, preparation for re-use, recycling and other recovery has meant that  more waste can be put to environmentally sustainable and productive use as opposed to being buried in the ground.  The statistics show that we have come a long way in a relatively short period of time in terms of improving our recycling rates. In this regard, National Waste Statistics - Reports and Bulletins are available to download atincluding the recently published table on Progress towards EU waste recycling, recovery and diversion targets.