Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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79. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the percentage of houses and apartments that have a municipal compost bin. [37583/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The most recent published figures for the number of households availing of a food waste collection service are set out in the report Performance Indicators in Local Authorities 2016 which indicates that approximately 640,000 or 38% of households are availing of such a service.  A copy of the report is available on the National Oversight and Audit Commission website at.

Under the European Union (Household Food Waste and Bio-waste) Regulations 2015, household waste collectors are required to provide, or arrange for the provision of a separate collection service for food waste from households in designated brown bin areas. In accordance with the Regulatory Impact Assessment prepared for these Regulations, the roll-out of the brown bin has been phased in on a progressive basis, commencing on 1st July 2013. The timetable for when the Regulations take effect is as follows:

- 1st July 2013, for population centres greater than 25,000 persons;

- 31st December 2013, for population centres greater than 20,000 persons;

- 1st July 2014, for population centres greater than 10,000 persons;

- 1st July 2015, for population centres greater than 1,500 persons, and

- 1st July 2016, for population centres greater than 500 persons.

Household & Commercial Waste Management Compliance has been a National Waste Enforcement Priority for 2017 and 2018. During this period the focus of this priority for the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs) has been the roll out of the household food waste bin. From their inception in 2016 the WERLAs have coordinated local authority actions by way of compliance assistance and enforcement to support the effective roll out of the household food waste bin in the required agglomerations in accordance with the legislation and this work is on-going.

The provision of a brown bin collection service, where it is technically and environmentally practical to do so, continues to be monitored by my Department, together with the regulatory authorities and industry representatives.