Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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67. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the extent to which he expects to be in a position to bring about a reduction in plastic waste onshore and offshore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16204/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I am committed to tackling the problems associated with single use plastics and my Department is working to transpose and implement EU Directive 2019/904, commonly referred to as the Single Use Plastics Directive, at the earliest possible date. The aim of this Directive is to tackle the ten single-use plastic products and fishing gear that together make up 70% of the marine litter found on EU beaches. The Directive introduces measures which will enable the prohibition of certain single use items being placed on the market including polystyrene food and beverage containers, plastic cutlery and plates, straws and balloon sticks.

Waste management practices are evolving and I will shortly be bringing forward an ambitious new waste policy which will reflect and exceed the level of ambition in the Single Use Plastics Directive and the EU's Circular Economy Package.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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68. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which he expects Ireland should proceed in respect of waste management, whether by combination of landfill and reduction or by other means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16205/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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European, national and regional waste management policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in Article 4 of the 2008 Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), whereby the prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling and other recovery of waste are preferred options to the disposal or landfilling of waste. 26% of managed municipal waste (by weight) was sent to landfill in 2016 compared to 41% in 2012 and 92% in 1995. Furthermore, 74% of managed municipal waste was recovered in 2016 (compared to 59% in 2012). Significantly more residual waste is now used as a fuel (energy recovery) than disposed to landfill. Further information is available at .

New waste management targets in the Landfill Directive require Member States to reduce the amount of municipal waste going to landfill to 10% or less of the total amount of municipal waste generated (by weight) by 2035. In addition, amendments to the Waste Framework Directive require that recycling rates of 55%, 60% and 65% of municipal waste (by weight) must be achieved by 2025, 2030 and 2035 respectively.

In line with the Programme for Government commitment, I will soon be bringing forward an ambitious new waste policy which will include a range of measures to reform and strengthen waste management with a greater focus on prevention through product design and consumer choice. The new waste policy will ensure that we continue to meet our European targets for waste and will reflect the level of ambition in the waste and climate areas at EU level, including the range of actions proposed in the European Green Deal, which was published in December 2019. It will set out a range of objectives and targets for the State and the measures by which to achieve them.