Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

86. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the actions taken regarding clothing and textiles deposited in clothing banks and unused clothing and textiles from the charity industry; the regulations and checks in place to ensure environmentally safe disposal of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37480/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Textiles including clothes which have been donated for reuse are not waste but are in fact valuable resources.  This is recognised in the recently published Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy.  A series of actions is set out in the Plan to ensure Ireland protects these resources and fosters sustainable textile production and consumption practices.  In 2021, the European Commission is to produce a comprehensive EU Strategy for Textiles and this will provide a positive policy context for our national measures.Regrettably some textiles continue to be discarded as waste rather than donated for reuse.  The EPA’s 2018 Waste Characterisation Study found that textiles made up 10% of our general waste bins and 3% of our recycling bins.  Where textiles are disposed of as waste, they are subject to the same legislative provisions under Waste Management legislation as other materials and must be disposed of appropriately using permitted waste collection services or facilities.  A list of approved waste collectors is available on the website of the National Waste Collection Permitting Office.

I understand that clothing banks are not always clear about who is collecting the materials and what the final use and destination of those materials will be.  As Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, I have no remit in relation to the planning rules around the placing or labelling of these receptacles. However I have committed in our new Waste Action Plan to review the regulation of textile collection banks for compatibility with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals.  Improved transparency and traceability around the collection of these materials should increase the volume of textiles that are retained in Ireland to the benefit of local charities and communities.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

87. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the Government position on the disposing of waste in landfills; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37503/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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.Ireland’s recycling rate for municipal waste was 38% in 2018, while our landfill rate for municipal waste was just 14% in 2018, representing a significant reduction from the 2017 figure of 23% and continuing the ongoing welcome decline from the 62% recorded for 2008. 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 EU 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.

I launched the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economyin September. This represents a step change in our approach to waste in Ireland, as it shifts the focus away from management to a fuller reconsideration of how we use resources and materials.  The measures in the Plan are intended to minimise the amount of waste generated, eliminating waste before it can be created and diverting as much as possible to beneficial reuse or recovery and will help us deliver on our national targets.