Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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88. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will allow used timber, that is waste and used timber recovered from construction, to be collected and segregated for use as biomass in view of the fact it is been currently exported for use as biomass to other jurisdictions. [45125/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Article 28 of the European Communities (Waste Directive) Regulations, S.I. No. 126 of 2011, sets out the grounds by which a material which is recovered or recycled from waste can be deemed to be no longer a waste. As the designated competent authority, decisions regarding applications for end-of-waste status are the responsibility of the EPA and accordingly, questions in relation to specific applications are more appropriately directed to the Agency. Further information on the end of waste process is available on the EPA’s website at www.epa.ie. I am very conscious of the importance of the End of Waste in the transition to a more circular economy, in particular in relation to the construction sector.  The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economywhich I launched in September this year, has a dedicated chapter on End of Waste, and commits to a number of measures including:

- Working with stakeholders to streamline the process;

- Examining whether certain end of waste decisions should be determined by local authorities rather than the EPA;

- Establishing a working group to develop national end of waste applications for identified priority waste streams, which would obviate the need for individual applications within those streams;

- Introducing a fee for end-of-waste applications to help fund the process and encourage high quality applications.

My officials have already had initial engagement with regulatory authorities and with private sector stakeholders in relation to these measures, and will be working to advance progress in these areas over the coming months.