Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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544. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if additional tyre collection facilities will be arranged for counties Cavan and Monaghan in view of the huge demand on a previous collection date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43632/18]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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545. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if support will be provided for the once-off collection and recycling of farm tyre waste in the remaining counties where a collection service has not taken place to support the sustainable and environmentally friendly management of this waste stream; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43656/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 and 545 together.

In 2017, my Department made available funding of €1 million to local authorities to deal with the clean-up of existing stockpiles of tyres illegally dumped across the countryside. This was done to support the introduction of a new compliance scheme for tyres and waste tyres from 1 October 2017. The new full compliance scheme to deal with Ireland's chronic waste tyres problem, which is operated by Repak ELT with a registration and reporting role for the Producer Register Limited (PRL), is funded by a visible Environmental Management Cost (vEMC) on the sale of new tyres. The new compliance scheme provides the assurance to drivers and consumers that their old tyres will be disposed of responsibly by the retailer when they buy new tyres.

At that time, the Minister also indicated that he would look at the issue of old tyres on farms and €700,000 was recently allocated to remove tyres from farms. Irish Farm Film Producers Group (IFFPG), the national farm plastics recycling compliance scheme, agreed to undertake the removal of tyres from farms through 4 bring centres around the country. The collections, which were chosen because they represent a good geographical spread, took place as follows: 

- Cootehill Mart, Co. Cavan (29 September)

- New Ross Mart, Co. Wexford (9 October)

- Athenry Mart, Co Galway (13th October) and

- Gort Drum Mines, Monard, Co. Tipperary (20th October)

In total, approximately 4,253 tonnes of tyres were collected from these bring centres and the €700,000 budget was fully expended.